Damaged
by TokyoJunk
Summary: In an effort to help Nero move on from a tragedy, Dante asks Lady for help. Takes place three years after the events of DMC4.
1. Easier said than Done

**Note:** So, this is a fic I've been working on for what seems like forever. If it seems things are a bit slow, it's because I really want to build on these characters and events. You are welcomed to give me feed back of course! Let me know if certain characters are a bit out of it. Nero's always been a character I struggle with, so bare with. To warn, this story is also loosely tied to characters from Shadows of the Damned. If you haven't played that game go do it! It's amazing! But you don't need to really know about it in order to follow what's going on. I'll try my best to be as detailed as possible when the crossover moments arise.

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01.

The rustic roar of a motorcycle engine cutting off let Dante know Lady was about to strut through his doors. It was rare of Dante to call her when it wasn't to complain about how much she shortchanged him. So he was a little doubtful of her appearing at his request. Maybe she just missed him and wanted to see him? Not that she would admit it, but he entertained himself with the thought. He lazily turned the page to his men's magazine, barely registering the sound of her heavy footsteps. It wasn't until he could feel her eyes burning through the magazine he held, that Dante decided to acknowledge her presence. He leaned forward, bringing his chair down from its titled position, its front legs pounding against the dusty floor with a loud bang.

"Ah, well look who it is," he said and acted as though he wasn't really expecting her. He could see the eye roll she gave him through her tinted shades.

"To what do I owe you this visit?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

To what indeed he almost said aloud as his eyes quickly skimmed her over. He could look all he wanted as long as he didn't touch. He didn't make his gawking obvious, but he wasn't shy about it. Lady looked good and that blazer left little to the imagination so really, how could he _not_ look? In the ten plus years that they've known each other, their relationship managed to stay the same. It always seemed to toddle the fine line between friendship and something more, but she was quick to draw the line and Dante made sure to never cross it sometimes. Maybe, way back then, if she relented and let Dante kiss her, things might have been different today. But she didn't and here they were, more than ten years older and probably none the wiser if their constant runaround and snarky bickering were anything to go by. He knew she would never consider him a lover, a reality that hurt once he realized it wasn't going anywhere despite their chemistry. But Dante learned to move on and she wasn't the only woman around. He still had Trish; though that was its own can of worms with how much she looked like his mom. Still, they somehow managed to make things work in their relationship, both professionally and intimately since Trish didn't seem to mind their occasional rumps.

So he and Lady weren't lovers and Dante learned to accept this. As friendship was the next best thing, he thought that knowing her for a little over ten years would warrant him some kind of leeway. Though he joked and flirted with her from time to time, it just never felt real. Lady was good at meeting him half way, playing his game to keep him amused, armed with flirty smirks and snarky replies, but she was also good at keeping him at bay. It felt like she kept him at arm's length, despite her knowing that he would never hurt her and knowing that she could put her trust in him, just like he put his trust in her. He just wished she realized that now and stop being so guarded.

He will give her credit where it was due, however. When Lady was a teenager, she was a badass hothead with a quick trigger finger and a sharp attitude. The years have softened her some, and she was less likely to blow a gasket over the littlest things (though if you managed to push her buttons a certain way-watch out). She was more compassionate and understanding, though that didn't stop her from shoving a heeled boot up anyone's ass if they needed one. She was a bit more laid back, but serious when it came to her work. And of course, she still ripped him off on jobs, which never seemed to change regardless of how many years went by.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something to me? Or would you rather speak with the girls?"

The girls? He blinked and his eyes fell on her chest. Right. _Those girls_. Not that he had anything to say to them, though he could probably come up with something he'd _like_ to do to them.

"I need you to do me a huge favor," he said, moving his gaze up towards her face. She raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but uncrossed her arms and came forward more. She sat on the edge of the desk, lengthwise, bringing her left leg up to rest against the table's surface. He could barely see the scar on her thigh, which had also softened its appearance with time.

"Depends on the favor," she replied.

Dante inwardly winced. That was like an indirect no in his book. But he could always try, right? Take a chance. Lady had the tendency to surprise him from time to time, so maybe this was one of those times.

"I have this guy friend and—"

"Not interested."

He frowned at being cut off.

"You didn't even let me finish."

She crossed her arms over her chest again, only this time he could detect a hint of annoyance. He repressed the urge to roll his eyes because really, she was the one being difficult.

"He's a little young—"

"A little young?" she cut him off again, an eyebrow raised and her voice thick with sass and attitude.

Dante smirked, knowing that tone of voice all too well. "Oh come on, you look like the cougar type."

"Seriously?" she said, looking down at him enough so that her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose slightly. Bi-colored eyes peeked at him, none too amused of course at the implication. She wasn't that old and this was clearly not helping his cause, but he couldn't help but take a couple of digs at her for rudely interrupting him earlier.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," he said, a cocksure grin on his lips.

At this she smirked. "And you tried?"

Dante shrugged. "I'm apparently not his type."

"Shocking to hear," Lady said, snorting a laugh.

"All joking aside," he said, straightening his posture and getting serious. "It's the kid, you know, the one from Fortuna."

Lady nodded at the mention of the island she sent Dante to around three years ago.

"What about him?"

"The kid isn't doing so hot. Not since he lost his girl about a year ago."

Demons. He knew the word was at the tip of her tongue when he saw her tense slightly. It didn't need to be said as demons were the root to almost every problem they've faced. Dante cleared his throat, licking his lips.

"The kid was pretty much a wreck when I went to see what he was up to a few months back." He folded his hands together, the leather of his gloves squeaking as he squeezed his grip.

"Should've seen him, Lady." He looked at hands, his gaze seemed far away as though remembering. "The nuns there, at the convent he was staying in barely saw him out and about, but when I caught sight of him, my jaw nearly dropped. He was so thin and pale, eyes so sunken in and dark, like the life had been drained out of them."

It was a jarring sight to remember. Dante asked one of the nuns what was wrong and it was explained to him that Nero had lost Kyrie in a terrible demon kidnapping a year prior. He wanted to know more specifics, but the women couldn't tell him more from the little they got from Nero. They said that he just showed up to the convent, it being the place where he was abandoned as a baby, covered in blood. He came back a broken man and they didn't question him much. They just took him in and tried their best to heal his wounds.

"He was like this walking husk," he continued. "Barely registered I was there until I put a hand on his shoulder. He flipped out, threw me through a wall before I landed in a court yard."

"And you're sure he's safe to be around?" Lady asked. "Unlike you, I can't bounce back from being thrown into a court yard."

"Relax; he was like that a few months ago and I'm sure his knee-jerk reaction was a result of my own demonic aura triggering something." Dante got up to stretch his legs a bit.

"I stayed there and helped him a bit," he said, slowly walking around the table. "You know, get him back into shape, and help swallow the grief a little. He's less feral now. Showers often even, like normal people do." Dante tried to smirk at the last part to show that things were a bit better, but it quickly faltered.

Nero was a damaged man, broken to what others might assume beyond repair. But Dante wasn't going to give up on him yet, he knew that things could get better for him.

"So that's why I couldn't get a hold of you for awhile," Lady said, tilting her head as she examined him. "Though Trish was a good substitute."

"I told her to go easy. We don't want to end up owing you money for a job you hired us to do," he said, pointing an accusing finger.

"Perish the thought," the woman replied, though he could read the humor in her tone. He knew she was quick to keep tabs on money matters; she was the reason why he was always broke.

"I'm sorry for the kid's loss and I really do hope he gets better, and from the sound of things, he seems to be on the right track if he's showering every day," she said, "But what does all this have to do with me?"

"The kid's rusty. Some good old fashion training would do him some good. And I want you to be his drill sergeant."

Lady stood up, placing a hand on her hip. "You're serious?"

"As a heart attack," he replied.

Dante watched her drop her hand, and she walked a couple of paces away from his desk, her face pensive as she watched her feet. She brought a hand to her chin and he wondered if she was thinking of the risks, the consequences, the factors that would play a role in all of this and what did it all mean. Did she have something to gain? Or was she going to lose?

"If money's a problem, don't worry," he said, hoping to quell her doubts. "I'll pay you for this." And he meant it because it was worth it. If saving Nero meant going into deeper debt, then let it happen.

The glare she shot him was enough to quell his doubts of her participation and he almost felt ashamed for bringing it up.

"Money isn't the issue here and it isn't going to be," she said and came back to stand in front of him. "I can't just drop everything to train some guy I barely know."

"I'm not asking you to drop everything. You can still do what you need to do," he reasoned, "Just know that you also have to work on him and that you're not alone in this."

Lady gave him a slow nod, though she didn't look completely convinced.

"He's not a bad guy," Dante started. " 'Course he's got a mouth on him, but it's mostly snark, nothing you can't handle. He's a quick learner when he wants to be and strong." he sighed, knowing that Nero would tell him to back off, that he was strong enough to make it. "But brute strength alone isn't going to cut it, not if he wants to make a living hunting again. That's where you come in."

"And Trish?"

"Said it wasn't worth her time," he said, shrugging.

Lady snorted, rolling her eyes. "Classy."

"But she did agree to help once in a while," he said, quickly coming to Trish's defense.

"So we'll be seeing more of Gloria then?"

"It's her thing, and she gets a kick out of it when it makes the kid uncomfortable."

"I'm glad she's able to find some amusement from of all of this," she said, and then frowned, her lips almost pouting. "I can't."

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Can't or won't?"

"Both," she said, turning around and walking away from him. She stopped before reaching the door.

"Are you sure I'm the right person for this?" Her hand reached for the doorknob but stopped short of turning it when he followed, his footsteps echoing as he approached her from behind. "I'm not a coach and if you even think I'm going to be the kid's therapist then you're—"

She stopped when he placed a hand on her shoulder. He felt her tense, seeing her shoulders rise up before slumping down as she relaxed.

They stood in silence and he wondered why she was fighting him so hard on this. There had to be something else she wasn't telling him and it hurt to know she would hold it back from him. Not trust him enough to have him help, knowing that he would in a heartbeat.

"I would think that you—being who you are, having already gone head to head with him and giving him Yamato—would be the sole character in all of this. You'd be the one to save him," she said.

He dropped his hand from her shoulder.

"And you know what?" he said, "I thought I was. But I'm not exactly what he needs."

"What he needs he just can't have and that's the problem, isn't it?"

"Just because he lost her doesn't mean he needs to stop living." He looked up to the ceiling closing his eyes as he rolled his neck, feeling something pop and relaxed. "And just because I'm not exactly what he wants doesn't mean I'm not going to try my hardest to help him," he said, looking back down at her. He wanted her to turn around, to have her face him, but as it was, her hand was still on the doorknob.

He saw her turn it and he found himself mentally sighing in disappointment. He couldn't let her leave, not yet, not when he knew she had an important role in all of this and it hit him. The reason why she was so against it in the first place and why the more they talked about it, the more she backed away until he had her basically cornered.

"He reminds me of you." And Dante was sure that was it because the tension returned to her shoulders. "You lost everything years ago because Arkham took everything you had. A chance at a normal life, your mother…"

She didn't say anything.

"…you lost everything and still had the drive to go after him because you felt responsible. You went and dealt with him, not because you had to, but because you _wanted_ to, because you knew that it was the only way for you to move on."

He heard her snort, probably a dry laugh she was holding back.

"I got revenge by killing my father and laughed about it, a hollow victory at best." She let go of the knob and turned around, taking off her sunglasses and looking up at him, bi-colored eyes dark. "And what do I have to show for it now? An ugly scar and the disgust of waking up every morning and seeing his eyes stare right back at me. Am I really the right choice now?"

He cupped her face. A bold move on his part, but at least she couldn't run away from him. Lady stared at him, her eyes so big that he felt like he'd drown in them. She closed them when his thumb traced the scar on her nose, her cheeks flushing a slight pink, making the scar stand out even more. The skin there was softer than it should've been and it made him lick his lips in anticipation though he knew he wasn't allowed to cross that line despite being so dangerously close to it. It'd be stepping the line if he dared to press their lips together and just melt into her and take whatever he could get. Gorge himself until there was nothing left and pull away just before she was aware that he was trying to steal what was never going to be his to begin with.

Instead, he brought his lips down, just above her eyebrow.

"You're perfect," he whispered, lips brushing against soft skin and fine hairs. Like Nero, she was also broken, her past following her like a shadow, stopping her from branching out, limiting how close others could get. Lady was what Nero could become if he wasn't careful.

That wasn't to say that Lady was a lost cause. She wasn't...not yet. He hoped that during all of this, she'd realize how silly she was at keeping him and others at arm's length. That maybe, she'll open up, let herself go and live a little. That she come to terms with herself as a woman and realize that she was beautiful, both inside and out, and that she was never going to be Arkham despite what the mirror portrayed her to be. She may not be open to examining her inadequacies, but maybe seeing her own flaws in someone else might help trigger the healing process Dante felt was way overdue.

"Years ago, you made me realize what was important," he said pulling his face back and letting her face go.

"Even if it meant sacrificing what I held dear. That's what you've done and I owe you a lot for it."

She chewed her bottom lip, her eyes avoiding his gaze as they looked off towards the side. It was something she always did when she felt embarrassed or nervous.

"You can do the same for the kid. Make him realize what's important. Save him from himself."

He moved back, giving her some room. Lady cleared her throat as though composing herself. She put her sunglasses on and it was as though the past five minutes never happened.

"So, what's the time frame for this?" she asked.

"With our combined efforts, I give him six months, nine or ten if he's stubborn about it and fights us every step of the way."

"That's a long time."

"He'll be out of your hair before you know it," he assured her.

"Alright then." She raised her sunglasses into her hair and looked at him. He couldn't help but smirk at the look of determination in her eyes. "I'll do it."

"Nice! So, you won't mind meeting us at the bar tomorrow night? Ten sharp?"

Lady didn't hide her frown as she brought her sunglasses down in their place.

"Really, the bar?"

"What's wrong with that?" Dante didn't see anything wrong with it and just shrugged, turning around to walk back towards his desk. "We'll talk details over a couple of drinks, I get to see you wear a nice top, the kid learns to play pool, everyone wins!"

"I'm sure," he heard her mutter as she followed from behind.

"So what's he like?"

Dante took a seat in his chair, tilting it back and placing his feet on the table.

"He looks and acts just like me," Dante said grinning.

Lady frowned. "Oh joy."


	2. Damned if you don't, Damned if you do

**Note:** Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! It means a lot to me! Enjoy the next chapter!

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02.

The city here reminded Nero of the small city in Fortuna, except it was a lot grittier with tones of urban decay. It lacked the heart, warmth, and the old-fashioned feel that the city back home—the one with compact, cobble stone streets, old fashion bikes and clean narrow pavements littered with bistros, little cafés and specialty shops—was made of. He couldn't picture himself living here, in such apparent disarray and squalor, but the way his life turned out during the past year, it could have ended a lot worse. He could've been dead and buried somewhere; at least, that was the scenario Dante came up with when he picked up Nero at the airport.

He'd never traveled anywhere outside of the island. The nuns at the convent he stayed in, though sad to see him go, were also excited for him. Nero didn't see what exactly the big deal was. He always heard horror stories about traveling abroad, all of which were filled with bad airplane food, armrest hogs, and crying babies. It all turned out to be true and because it was Nero, he had the privilege to add more to the shit list of horrors. Customs had been a roaring bitch to deal with. They were shocked and horrified by his baggage, though Nero didn't give a shit how they felt. His weapons were in their cases and posed no real threat to anyone, but that didn't stop them from holding him back for about an hour. And did he forget to mention the long lines and the waiting? There was a line for everything in terms of paperwork and waits so long you might as well as jam your pen in your jugular because the blood shooting out of your neck would make it farther up the line than you ever would.

When he finally landed, and dealt with the incompetency that was customs, the pokes and prods of curious children who wanted to know _why _he wore a glove on one hand and not the other, and the nosy middle-aged women who wanted to know if he was single because they had a nice daughter his age who wouldn't mind a nice boy like him, Nero was ready to throw in the towel. Dante welcomed him of course, with that cheesy grin of his and the demon hunter was lucky that Nero was too emotionally drained to punch that smile off his face. The man offered to show him some of the sights and Nero told him that he wanted nothing to do with sightseeing. He was jet-lagged, tired, and hungry.

Either Dante didn't seem to hear him or didn't seem to care, because they were off to some bar to meet one of his demon hunter friends.

Nero was not looking forward to the meeting. He didn't want to meet whoever it was and he didn't care. He wasn't there to make friends and he wasn't in the mood for it either. But Dante insisted and the minute they walked into the bar, he could tell he was going to be in for a long boring night.

The place looked archaic, its hardwood floors looked dull from the lack polish and shine. The paint on the wall was chipped here and there and underneath, Nero could see a rich burgundy color that probably would've looked nice if the owner wanted to give the cheap looking place some class. Not that it would help much what with the flickering jukebox and loosely swaying ceiling fans that danced dangerously close to falling.

The middle-aged bartender gave Dante a nod as a welcome. A random regular looked up from his drink and also nodded at Dante, the man smirking and going back to nursing his drink that was more ice than anything else.

They made their way towards the back to the pool tables where one was currently being used by a woman with dark, short hair wearing sunglasses. She lined the billiard balls within the racking template, shifting them around to make nice rows.

"Sorry we're late."

She looked up at the sound of Dante's voice and smirked.

"I'd figure you'd be. I walked in about ten minutes ago."

Nero saw her gaze meet his and it bothered him that he couldn't really read her, not with those damn sunglasses. But the amused smirk she wore when she looked to be examining him was enough to fuel his dislike of her.

"You weren't joking," she said, finally raising her sunglasses into her hair. He noticed her mismatched eyes, along with the light scar across the bridge of her nose. "He really does look like you."

"Fortunately the similarities end there," Nero said, putting his things aside. He didn't think they looked that much alike except for their hair color.

"Let me be the judge of that," she answered. Her tone wasn't flirty or playful like Trish, who always held a double meaning in her tone. But it was condescending enough to imply that he was just a toy she was going to be amused by and he couldn't help but feel mocked.

Dante laughed, clapping his hands at it all. He must've noticed the glare Nero was sending her way because it was heated enough to burn right through her. "Not five minutes and already getting along!"

Nero rolled his eyes, though he noticed he wasn't the only one as the woman did the same. She brought her glasses back down.

"Alright, so let's get acquainted. Kid…I mean Nero," Dante went over to the woman, gripping her by the shoulders and guiding her towards Nero. "…this pretty gal is Lady."

She offered her hand for him to shake and he took it, shaking it slowly as he raised an eyebrow.

"Really, that's your name?" he asked, letting her hand go. The woman or _Lady _as she wanted to be called went back to where she was standing before, removing the racking template off the table.

"Problem?"

"No, not at all," he said shaking his head. "Sounds like a stripper name," he mumbled under his breath, hoping no one would hear, though by how hard Dante clapped him on his back he figured he wasn't subtle enough.

"Charming," Lady snorted, grabbing a cue stick. Oh so she heard him anyway? Oh well, the truth hurts.

Dante grabbed a cue stick and joined Lady at the table.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" He watched her take the first hit, the billiard balls scattering around the table.

"Kid, Lady is going to be your teacher so to speak. She's going to help me train you."

Nero's eyes widened slightly. "What?"

The young demon hunter looked at Lady, who didn't seem fazed or even interested to know that she was now involved.

"Don't make me repeat myself kid, I'm not a broken record," Dante said as he leaned down to take his shot.

"You should've told him," Lady said, watching a ball land in a pocket.

"I told him enough to get him here."

"Ridiculous," Nero mumbled as he turned around to get away from them. He had half a mind to just be done with this and leave. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. When Dante said he was going to help him, Nero scoffed and told him that his help wasn't wanted. He was a grown man at twenty-six and didn't need Dante to babysit him out of fear that he was going to go and off himself by jumping off a cliff.

He thought that was enough to send the older demon hunter off, but the man wouldn't let it go and he pushed and probed until Nero eventually threw him toward a courtyard. All that did was prove to Dante that Nero still had some fight left in him and the man came up with the idea of bringing Nero back home with him for some training. Nero thought about it for a bit and decided that he didn't need the help, but proving Dante otherwise and rubbing it in his face would be the only way to get the man to leave him alone. So he came to Devil May Cry to prove that Dante had no business in his life, that Nero was perfectly fine and able to fend for himself.

"You alright there?"

Nero turned around at Dante's voice and didn't bother hiding his annoyance.

"This isn't what you said was going to happen," he hissed.

Dante didn't seem threatened by Nero's discontentment and just shrugged.

"So I got you some extra help. I'm not hearing a thank you."

"I was fine doing this to humor you," Nero said. "I don't want her involved."

Dante stood his cue stick on the floor, his palm laying flat against the tip as he kept it balanced. "Why, because she's human?"

"_Because _it's none of her business," Nero clarified.

"You don't have to tell her your life story," Dante replied. "Just give her a chance. I know she may not look enthusiastic about this, but she'll eventually warm up. And I can vouch that she knows what she's doing. Shot me in the head when we first met…twice. So she knows how to rumble."

"Yeah? Well her aim's pretty terrible since she missed that mouth of yours."

Dante leaned against one of the pool table and chuckled. "Luckily for you, she's gotten better, so she'll be able to shoot yours off in no time."

Nero walked over to stand next to Dante. "She can try," he snorted, leaning against the same table.

The older demon hunter smirked and Nero followed his line of vision. Lady was currently bending over, concentrating on making a shot as her chin slightly hovered over the green felt surface. The rest of the bar, including Dante, concentrated on her ass. Nero's eyes outlined the peach shaped bottom and they trailed down her smooth looking thighs to her long boots. When he looked back up she was staring at him and though he couldn't read any anger, her flat expression said everything and he felt a slight heat curl around his ears as he immediately looked elsewhere.

"Just talking business babe," Dante said, winking at her.

"Like hell you just were," Lady replied, going to the other side of the table where no one could ogle her backside.

"She might be a hard-ass," Dante said, turning slightly to him, "But at least she's easy on the eyes."

"She's a looker, but not my type. So you're welcome to it."

Dante pushed himself off the table. "Trust me kid, I've been barking up that tree for years, she ain't interested."

"The woman has self respect? Color me surprised."

Dante laughed.

"There you go!" He clamped a hand on his shoulder. "You're beginning to like her. You'll be calling her big sis in no time!"

With that, Dante made his move to leave and Nero followed behind. What choice did he really have now that he was here? He didn't exactly have the funds to return to Fortuna at the moment, though if he earned them he'd make it out of there like a demon out of hell.

At the table, Lady stood waiting, her hands resting flat against the cue stick's tip.

"Did you guys have fun making out?"

Nero's eyebrow gave an involuntary twitch as he glared at her. But Dante just chuckled at the question, leaning down to take his turn at the pool table.

"Let's hammer out the details," he said, taking his shot. "Shall we?"

Lady gave a casual shrug.

"So, I figure with the way the shop's laid out and how uncomfortable he'll be, the kid is better off staying at your place."

"What?" Not that he wanted to stay at Devil May Cry. The place wasn't really hospitable and he cringed at the thought of sleeping on the couch or the dusty floor where beer bottles roamed like packs of wild animals. But he didn't want to shack up with tomb raider Barbie either.

"Relax, her place's nicer. I'm sure you'll be just fine." Dante looked at Lady, his face serious as he slowly nodded. "Right?"

"He'll be fine," she said, ignoring his stern look. She leaned down and got ready to take her shot. "Just have to make some minor adjustments around the place; he'll live like a king."

Satisfied with her answer, Dante looked at Nero. The previous seriousness his face bore was now gone and back was the usual devil may care demeanor he usually sported.

"Lady's an expert with fire arms and close and long range combat. She'll help you fine tune what you already know. I'll be available as a sparring partner, point out what needs working here and there. And you'll also tag along on jobs, get to know the place, get your face around."

"I don't need pointers or help getting work," Nero reminded him and Dante held a hand up in defense.

"Just trying to help."

"Yeah, well I never asked for it to begin with," he snipped, sounding a littler snider than he meant to.

There was silence as Dante looked away, running a hand through his hair and sighing. Lady didn't seem interested in the conversation as she leaned down and took her turn. It felt like hours to Nero, as the silence stretched and he watch the billiard balls knock into each other and land in different pockets.

Lady sighed, standing up straight. "Fine, I'll say it."

"You aren't doing us any favors, kid. Dante might be sweet on you, but I'm sure as hell not. So you can take your shit and leave for all I care." She laid her cue stick down on the table and pushed her glasses up into her hair.

"But realize that when someone is reaching out to you, taking the time out of their busy lives to give a shit whether or not you're breathing," she said and looked at Dante who wasn't good at confrontation unless it was the sort where he could get his sword involved. "It's because they care about what happens to you, even if you don't."

She walked around the table and stood in front of him, making at point to close the distance between them, making it impossible for him to escape.

"You don't have to take it and no one's holding a gun to your head. You have two choices, either you take your things and go back home or suck it up and deal. Which is it going to be?"

It wasn't as simple as she painted it to be. For one, Nero couldn't just up and leave like he wanted to since he needed money to get back home. Despite the so called help being offered, he wasn't fond of it taking the form of some kind of intervention, complete with a total stranger involved with his business. No, it wasn't simple and somehow, as they stared each other down, she knew this. She also knew he wouldn't do what she told him to do because he didn't want to give her the satisfaction. And even if he did, it'd prove what he constantly denied wasn't true—that he needed help—to be right. He didn't need their help and yet, he couldn't exactly leave without it. It was a catch-22 and he was damned either way.

"Whatever," he mumbled, looking away.

She went back to Dante and Nero let out a breath he didn't know he was holding though he would never admit it was from the relief of her backing off.

"Do your business already and sell me," he told them.

Lady smirked.

"Is he house-trained?" she asked and the twitch in his eyebrow returned. The woman blew him a kiss and winked.

Dante laughed. "Well, look at that! She's warming up to ya just fine."

Nero was tempted to give them the finger.


	3. Misery meets Company

03.

The night felt like it was never going to end. Nero didn't want to learn how to play pool, despite Dante's offer. The last thing he wanted was Dante's body flushed against his as he tried to teach him how to pull off a shot. Not only was he creeped out by that image, but it would no doubt provide Lady with endless ammo and amusement. It would've made more sense if she offered to teach him since it would look less weird, but he couldn't help but picture her with a delighted grin. 'You don't mind spooning with me?' she'd ask and he'd have to swallow a growl because her mocking tone was enough to make his blood boil. Even if she did offer he wouldn't want her touching him anyway.

So he decided to watch them play, or rather, watch Lady win all of Dante's money while she got free drinks courtesy of some random barfly enamored with her tits. Dante tried to get him to drink something, but Nero wasn't much into the idea. The older demon hunter got him a beer anyway, and Nero nursed it, not really liking it, but not wanting to throw it away in case Dante wanted to get him another one.

As he watched the duo play, he couldn't help but notice the way they were with one another. From the flirty dialogue, corny jokes, lingering touches, to the faux glares she gave him that held no real animosity. Was there something more to their relationship? Dante said she wasn't interested, though Nero could tell different from the shared tender looks, easy smiles and warmth that could be felt from their chemistry. He once had that and he lost it all when he lost Kyrie. Without her in his life, he didn't have a reason to fight, a reason to live, someone to protect, or someone to love him. Since her death, he'd gone through his life in a sort of pathetic limbo where he didn't want to keep waking up in the mornings, feeling sorry and hating himself for his mistakes. He didn't want to feel that haunting ache, the one that robbed him of his appetite, the ache that made him feel so guilty if he so much as cracked a smile. He didn't want any of that and yet he couldn't bring himself to care enough about himself to change anything.

"Hey, you ready to go?"

Nero blinked, surprised by Lady standing in front of him, waving a hand in his face to get his attention. He nodded and she took his warm beer, handing it off to Dante to finish. The older demon hunter gave him a nod goodbye as a sendoff.

"I'll help you with your things," she said, taking a hold of the Red Queen's case. He was surprised at how she handled it, picking it up with little effort.

He picked up his duffel bag and his gun case and that was that. He didn't have the energy to really get into it with her, as it was he had a long day and his body just wanted some rest. She didn't say much to him on the way to her place and he wondered if she could sense his brooding or maybe she saw that he was tired as all fuck and wasn't in the mood. Thankfully, she didn't live too far off, so their trip was short.

It was a little past midnight when they reached her place. He was surprised she lived in a nice apartment complex, complete with elevators and a nice old security guy who sat at a desk by the door.

When they got inside her apartment, an unusually large black cat with bi-colored eyes greeted them. He felt his Devil Bringer pulse at the animal's presence.

Nero looked towards Lady to see what she thought of it, but the woman was busy cooing at the cat as she bent down to stroke its fur.

"How are you this evening?"

The cat purred, nuzzling into her palm as her fingers worked the spot between its ears.

Nero raised an eyebrow, dumping his bag on the floor.

"Your cat," he said, taking his glove off. The glow of his demon arm grew brighter as he looked at the cat. "Is a demon."

"Hey, you don't see me insulting your pet," she said, pointing at his Devil Bringer. The young man rolled his eyes and went to place his gun case where his sword case stood against the wall.

Lady picked up the cat and stood. "His name is Lucy."

"_His _name?" he asked, flexing his fingers in his right hand. Really, the pulsing was beginning to bother him as his Devil Bringer itched for a fight.

"It's short for Lucifer."

He looked at her and saw that she was completely serious. The cat chose to meow at Nero to break the silence.

"I don't care if the Pope christened it and said it was the second coming of Christ. It's still a demon," he said, not liking the way the cat's mismatched green and blue eyes bore onto him like it was unimpressed.

"Relax," Lady said, putting the cat down. It immediately went to investigate Nero's bag, sniffing it to see if it posed any real threat as it pawed at it.

"It's a low level demon, so don't you worry that pretty boy head of yours," she assured him. "I promise he won't try to steal your soul when you go to sleep."

She was right. It was a demon, but it didn't feel particularly strong or threatening. But Nero knew that when it came to demons, looks could be deceiving and he made a note to keep an eye on the cat in case it ever decided to morph into some Godzilla like creature. He figured that if that time ever came he'd be the one to save Busty McBraless over there since she'd be too busy cooing at it or whatever.

"Come on. Let's show you around the place."

He followed her as she showed him the living room, the kitchen and dining area (which wasn't very spacious but it was spotless) the bathroom they had to share, though she told him she had half a bathroom in her room, so they'd be sharing the shower, and the small laundry room that was basically a closet. The apartment also had a balcony with a sliding glass door that looked out towards the neighborhood. They made their way past the living room where he noticed a small area that Lucy declared to be his turf, which was complete with a cat bed and a play area full of pet toys. There was a pool table and against the wall were two large black shelves full of books.

She showed him the direction to her room which was right down a hall.

"Just knock if you ever need me for anything," she said and he nodded and followed her half way down the hall to another door.

"And this is the weapon room," she said, unlocking it.

When she hit the lights, Nero couldn't stop his mouth from dropping.

_Holy shit._

There were guns _everywhere_, from machine guns to pistols, to sniper rifles and shotguns. She had all different kinds of knives, a variety of grenades, crates and opened boxes of all kinds of ammo and was that a freaking blow-torch? The woman was packing so much heat it was a miracle the place hadn't burst into flames. She had enough firearms to fit a small army.

"Since you're going to be staying here for awhile, this is going to be your room." She went towards a silver case and popped it open. Reaching into her blouse, she produced a small pistol that even Nero couldn't believe she had any room to carry anything from how tight the blouse looked on her.

"Once I get everything out and your new bed in, you'll be able to sleep more comfortably and have some privacy." She unloaded the clip and placed the gun in the case.

"How are you able to get away with all of this?" Nero asked walking over to a display of ninja stars. His fingers ghosted over the shiny metal, his reflection warped as he leaned to look at their intricate design.

"I'm friends with the landlord," she said, closing the metal case with a loud snap. "I've known her since high school so she's willing to look the other way."

Nero looked around the room some more, it was spacious despite having an arsenal big enough to go to war. His gaze landed on a large missile launcher and pointed at it with his Devil Bringer.

"There's no way she's looking the other way for that," he said, going up to the weapon to get a closer look. It was a dark rich green color, perfect for camouflage and it looked pretty badass with that huge hunting knife sticking out at the top of it.

"That one I can get away with, if I leave and enter through the back exit when people are around during the day. Don't want the neighbors freaking out when they see it." She paused for a moment. "Speaking of which, you'll probably have to use that entrance if you're going to be toting your sword around."

Lady could have been speaking to him in Japanese for all he cared. His attention was solely on this missile launcher. He was careful not to touch any of the switches or buttons, but seeing how organized she was with everything in there, he doubted she would leave the thing with its safety off.

"It has an incredible firing rate," she said, appearing next to him. "Shoots about every three seconds. It also has a laser targeting system and infrared technology.

"Not surprised you know your stuff."

"Of course I do. I built it."

He looked up from the launcher and raised an eyebrow at her. "You're kidding me. A little squishy thing like you made something like this?"

She didn't say anything as she went around the launcher to stand opposite of him.

"See that switch?" she asked and flicked it. Along the length of the large knife four sharp hooks emerged. "Brings out the grappling hook. You press the switch to launch it and this button retracts the steel cable, which under stress can pull up to about 400 pounds."

"Come here," she said, motioning him to the butt of the launcher where she made him grip the handle.

He noticed the engraved name—_**Kalina Ann**_— and wondered if it was Lady's real name or something else. He wasn't that curious to ask and decided to just follow her directions as she told him to pick it up. Nero tested the heft without really lifting it all the way from its display case. It was heavy, but not so heavy that he couldn't deal with it. Though he did see why she could lift the Red Queen's case with little effort. You needed to have some serious upper body strength to pick up and control a rocket launcher this heavy. The recoil alone would send a normal woman Lady's size flying, so he had to give it to her having such a kickass weapon.

"Pull the trigger."

He raised an eyebrow and his trigger finger hesitated before he pushed against it and all he heard was the weird hollow suction sound of air.

"Hm…I could've sworn I loaded it."

He almost dropped the launcher at her comment and he just looked at her, the horror clear on his face because if there _were _a rocket in this thing and considering they were surrounded by enough artillery to take out a small country—was she laughing?

"I was kidding," she said, smirking. "Relax, the safety's on. It's that button right—"

He jerked back, frowning at her. He wasn't in a joking mood and she rolled her eyes at him, placing a hand on her hip.

"Kid, if I wanted to blow you to pieces, I'd done so the minute I saw you."

He opened his mouth to retort but the insult died when she took the heavy launcher out of his arms and placed it back in its case.

"If you're good and can prove that you're capable of handling it, I'll let you take her out on a mission."

"If I'm good?" he snorted, "What am I? A dog?"

"I don't know. Are you going to bark and do tricks for me?"

The smoldering glare he gave her should've been enough of an answer as his jaw locked tight and his throat twitched with a growl.

But all that did was amuse her as she smirked.

"Down, boy."

He was going to _**throttle **_her as soon as the opportunity came. Lady didn't seem bothered by his dislike of her because she walked right past him. He gave one last look of longing to the rocket launcher, promising himself that he was going to use it with or without Lady's permission and followed the woman outside.

She locked the door behind him and walked out towards the living room.

"Now for some rules," she said, turning around to face him.

He didn't fight the urge to roll his eyes.

"Bare with me kid; they aren't unreasonable rules so save the attitude to flirt with Dante."

"Excuse me, you—"

"_First_!" She cut him off, her voice doubling in volume. "Clean up after yourself. I'm not your maid and I'm definitely not your mom, so be mindful of the space you occupy and how you treat it," she finished.

He stared at her, his mouth a permanent scowl. It was her place, so it made sense he had to follow her rules.

"Second, be polite to my neighbors even if they end up getting on your nerves. Remember, you won't be here for that long—"

"Thank god for –"

"_But _I'm the one who has to deal with any fallout once you're gone," she said, interjecting herself back in. "Also, I don't think this should be a problem, but then again, I don't know you. No girls allowed. If you're going to mess around with someone, do it at her place or rent a room somewhere."

He felt blindsided. There will never be anyone else…_ever_. The assumption that he would think about being intimate with anyone other than Kyrie made his heart lurch, and he looked at her, his eyes dark and he had to hold himself back from just screaming at her. But then he realized, as she raised an eyebrow at him and he looked away, ears burning with humiliation that maybe Dante kept his mouth shut for once. Maybe Dante didn't tell her anything outside the fact that her services were needed. He'd yell at her for nothing other than to have someone to yell at, someone to take it out on and though he wanted to because she wasn't exactly endearing herself to him and made it a point to act like an insufferable bitch, she didn't deserve to suffer the brunt of his anguish and pain.

"That's not going to be an issue," he said quietly, hoping that she wouldn't draw any more attention on the subject.

Luckily for him, she didn't seem to care as she produced a set of house keys, jiggling them in front of him. He looked and saw that she was holding them by the key-chain, which appeared to be a smiling panda bear.

"Cute," he said, dryly and offered his hand where the keys dropped.

"You also have a curfew," she informed him. "I want you here by two in the morning if you can help it. If you're going to break curfew a simple call to let me know you're going to be late will suffice, here." She dipped into her pocket and produced a cell phone. "I'm not using this one at the moment, so you can use it. Dante's number is in there as well my number."

He took it, looking at the sleek design and screen as it lit up from a mere touch. It looked expensive and he was surprised she was letting him use it.

"And finally, you'll get a weekly stipend so that you're not broke the entire time you're here. Don't worry about groceries and rent, I don't expect you to pitch in for that. The money you get is money you get to spend on whatever you want. You can spend it all on hookers and blow for all I care, but know that once you run out for the week, that's it. You'll have to wait until the next week for your payday. Any Questions?"

"Rules? Curfew? An allowance?" he said, walking around the living room, making it a point to look around the place. He eventually plotted himself down on the couch, which was softer than he anticipated; nevertheless, it didn't stop him from putting his feet up on the coffee table, crossing them as he got comfortable, head tossed back as he closed his eyes.

"You say you aren't my mom, but I'd be damned if you weren't. Part fits you like a glove, Lady."

He knew he was being rude and you know what? She could deal. He had one hell of a day and things did not go as planned in terms of Dante's original offer. He didn't want this woman involved, but she was and he was going to make it as unpleasant for her as he was sure she was going to make it unpleasant for him.

"Kid, if I were your mom, you wouldn't have an ass right now from the beating I'd give you."

He almost found that amusing and opened one eye.

"You'd raise a hand to your own child?" He opened the other one and brought his head back down, turning his body to look at her and before he could see her move, he felt something soft whack him in the face, _hard_.

"Oops, does Nero want mommy to kiss it better?" she mocked and he snatched the pillow from her.

Lady stormed off though he wasn't sure where exactly she was going until he heard the familiar clicking sound of a door being unlocked. His mind immediately went to the weapon room and Nero sat up, tossing the pillow aside and going for his Blue Rose, which was in its own case by the Red Queen's. He didn't trust her, not by a long shot and he wasn't going start to either. He didn't think he needed to use it on her, but if she did come out—guns a blazing—at least, he'd be ready. She wasn't someone you could let your guard down. She might've been human, but she was also a demon hunter and Nero wasn't going to take a chance on it. He left the gun holstered at his hip and stood there waiting.

When Lady came back, she held a pile of pillows with some folded blankets. The woman merely looked at him, an eyebrow raised as her eyes fell on his gun.

"Really? I don't play these games, grow up." She said, tossing the extra pillows and blankets on the couch.

"Look, I know this isn't the ideal set up," she said, eying him as she rounded the couch to stand in front of him, arms crossed over her chest. She looked annoyed and tired. "But I'm doing the best I can with the short notice that I got. If you don't like it, fine. Leave," she said raising her hands up in defense.

"Go to Devil May Cry, go and sleep on the kitchen floor at Dante's shop. I'm sure the roaches would love you as a new bunkmate."

He wanted to tell her off. But he found himself stalling, not because he couldn't figure out what to say, but because the image of him sleeping at Devil May Cry crept up and it made him think of stale smells mixed in with sour tones of rotted food, rancid cheese and beer. The shop wasn't really homey or welcoming with walls devoid of any color or life. He could picture seeing himself on the grimy kitchen floor, curled into himself, trying his best to keep himself away from the filth yet surrounded by it like a dark tunnel. Cold, miserable, and with only an itchy blanket to shield himself from crawling bugs and dust mites, he'd try to close his eyes, try to dream of something other than Kyrie's smile, her laugh, and the feel of her warm blood on his hands. He realized what a depressing image that was, a man down on his luck, a man nobody wanted because even he didn't want himself. A man plagued by loneliness, who didn't know what to do next, who had no real aspirations in life other than to be miserable and possibly die because he didn't have much left but a broken heart. Nero felt sick at the thought of it and swallowed a lump in his throat, hoping to swallow the brain searing imagines along with it.

"Hey, you okay there?"

Nero looked at her and blinked. His eyes stung and he blamed it on the fact that he spaced out on her. He cleared his throat, sniffing and bringing his mind back to reality.

"I'm not trying to set out to be the bad guy here," she said, her tone softer than before. "What I'm doing is in your best interest. Dante set me out to do a job and part of that job is to protect you from—"

"Save it." He raised his hand before she continued with her speech. "I can take care of myself, so please don't treat me like I'm fifteen."

Lady signed.

"Tomorrow we'll start in the afternoon," she said, "I figure that after today you're probably jet lagged, so you'll probably be tired if I got you up in the morning." She rounded the couch, standing behind it and snapped her fingers at the cat, which currently pawed at the leg of the single sofa. The cat, seeing how displeased its master was, stopped and went towards its play area.

"We'll do basic fitness to build up your stamina, work on muscle gain and—."

"You don't have to baby me. I can handle whatever you can to dish out."

Lady looked at him and he was expecting her to say something snarky. But only she did was turn around and walk down the hall again. He went and collapsed on the couch, flopping onto it like a bed and not feeling sorry about since he was tired. He heard her footsteps as she came back and before he could look up to see her, his face met the soft face of a stuffed animal.

Lady let go of the animal and it landed on his head. Nero grabbed it, not amused. It was a panda bear with a top hat and monocle.

"His name is Paul," she said, placing the extra blanket she had gotten him on the armrest of the couch. "He'll be my understudy for when you want to bitch and complain."

He looked at the bear and then looked at her with a smirk.

"What no bedtime story?"

She turned around, raising a hand to bid him farewell. "Nighty night, kid."

Nero snorted at her retrieving form and went to make his bed on the couch. The cushions were soft and he was half tempted to just pass out right then and there without blankets or pillows. But he changed his mind when the cat showed up to watch him, sitting on the coffee table, eyes wide and curious. He wasn't going to pass out with that thing waiting to probably claw his eyes out, not that Nero wouldn't toss it out the balcony if it ever tried. It wasn't a _real _cat so really, he would be doing Lady a favor.

After dressing for bed in only a t-shirt and boxers, Nero slipped in under the covers, he almost groaned, not realizing how sore his muscles were as they wound themselves so tight they almost sang. He took a relaxing breath in and exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as his body grew more accustomed to the soft padding surrounding it. He opened his eyes to see the cat on the coffee table, the panda bear right next to it and the cat meowed, pawing at the stuffed animal as if talking to it.

"No. Go talk with your boyfriend somewhere else," Nero snapped.

The cat stopped its pawing to look at Nero. It blinked, stared…then pawed at the panda while staring at Nero. It meowed.

Nero narrowed his gaze on it, trying to scare the thing off, but the cat was fully content on meowing at him, pawing at the panda bear.

"I am going to _kill _you someday." Nero didn't know if it understood language, but it was going to understand his Devil Bringer if the damn thing didn't stop meowing.

He decided to ignore it and turn over. But when he did that the cat began to meow even louder and he bit his bottom lip, summoning the patience he didn't have. Nero flipped over, snatched the panda bear and flipped over again, burying himself under the covers with it.

Silence.

It seemed that without a playmate or Nero to harass, the cat had no reason to continue its whining. The demon hunter exhaled a relieved breath, closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.

* * *

Lady wrinkled her nose in her sleep and turned over. It wasn't until she heard a 'meow' that she opened her eyes to see Lucy currently perched on the nightstand.

"Lucy, you know better," she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and sitting up. The cat pawed at her and the woman took him into her arms.

"Bet you're hungry since you won't stop pawing at me." She looked at the time on her cell phone and was surprised at herself for sleeping in so late. It was barely nine, but Lady was used to getting up with the sun.

She rolled her neck, feeling something pop and she sighed, letting Lucy go and sinking right back into bed. Last night had proved exhausting. Dante warned her about Nero having a mouth, but she didn't think the guy would be that difficult to deal with. Any little thing she did or said only set him off and she wondered if he was like that with everyone else. Lady understood that he was going through a tough time. At some point in her life, she lost everything too, so she could sympathize with him. He lost the love of his life and he was taking it out on himself and anyone else brave enough to get near him. She was fine with dealing with the attitude because lashing out was normal, it meant he was capable of feeling something rather than feeling nothing and letting his life waste away. Nero had a fighting chance, and she believed he could get better. But hoping and praying was not going to do Nero any good, especially if he didn't believe in himself.

What was she getting herself into?

Lucy pawed at her again, his meowing growing more urgent. Lady sat up again and raised an eyebrow. Even if he was hungry, Lucy never acted as though Lady needed to do something about it. It had powers strong enough to telepathically open windows and doors when it wanted to. As a demon, it usually went out and caught its own prey when it felt the need to feed. Sometimes, it would humor her and drink the milk she would put out on a saucer as though it were a cat. But it didn't need it, just like it didn't need to be pawing at her for whatever reason.

"Alright, I'll get you something," she said, getting up and taking the cat.

She was mindful not to wake Nero up when she made it to the living room. Seeing the lumpy form on her couch, she tipped toed towards the kitchen when Lucy wiggled in her arms to be set free. Lady put the cat down and it immediately ran over to the couch where Nero was sleeping and jumped on the lumps.

"Lucy, get back here, now," she hissed at it as quietly as she could but the cat meowed loudly, calling her.

Lady looked at the couch, head tilting slightly in confusion. Either the kid was a deep sleeper or…

"…he isn't really there," she finished her thought out loud.

Lucy meowed.

Lady decided to double check to make sure she wasn't having a nightmare and searched all over the apartment for him. From the balcony to the locked weapon room, she looked and turned up with nothing. Even his things were gone and as Lady sat on the couch defeated and feeling a bit jilted, she took a deep breath and dialed Dante's number.

"Devil May Cry."

"The kid's gone."

All she got in reply was dead silence until...

"Wait—What?"

Lady sighed.

"I'll be there in ten to explain." And she hung up.


	4. Unexpected Results

04.

Dante sat back, his mind dissecting everything Lady told him in an effort to figure out where Nero went. As it stood, the man had no clue. Nero had nowhere else to go unless he came to Devil May Cry.

"Are you sure he didn't decide to take a walk somewhere?" he asked, looking at her.

He watched her push her sunglasses up into her hair and her eyes looked dark. Dante wondered if she was angry or worried or some odd combination of both. He'd be surprised if she was something other than angry, given her short acquaintance with the kid.

"No. His things were missing too. He just took off with everything he had."

Dante thought for a bit, his thumb and forefinger rubbing against the stubble on his chin.

"Okay, so let's go over what happened last night step by step," he started. "You got him home, and then what happened?"

Lady sighed. "I got him home and showed him around the place. I showed him the weapon room and told him it was going to be his room once I got things out. He gave me lip once I started discussing rules—"

"Rules?" Dante had to interrupt her there. "Really, Lady?"

He watched her lips form an angry pout. Dante would've thought it was cute, but the murderous glint in her eyes, told him he needed to think differently.

"Yes, Dante. I discussed the rules for living together since he'll be staying with me during _your_ training project."

The demon hunter raised his hands up in defense. The dark tone in her voice was enough to let him know she was angry. Pissed beyond reason? She wasn't there…yet. During the years, Lady matured and managed to keep her temper under control. This resulted in a cool, level headed woman who remained in control of a situation if it ever turned dire. But when pushed the right way, Lady could rival any devil triggered demon and he wasn't in any hurry to be on the receiving end of that wrath.

"He gave me some lip about it—"

"Not surprised," Dante snorted interrupting her, which earned him a dark glare.

"—And I clocked him with a couch cushion."

"You're kidding me," Dante chortled, but saw how serious she was when her lips didn't bother to crack a smile.

That was when he realized what the problem was. Nero wasn't the type to give in easily, nor was he the type to play well with others. It was the reason why he worked solo on missions rather than partnering up with anyone or work in a group. Lady and Nero were horrifyingly similar in those aspects. Both liked to deal with things on their own terms and neither liked to relinquish control to someone else if they could help it. Their pride usually got the best of them in different ways. Nero's pride clouded his judgment and prevented him from making sound decisions. It stopped him from truly learning from his mistakes and he always had hell to pay for it later. He also held his pride like he held his heart, close to the chest where it remained vulnerable.

Lady was the same when she was younger, though now that she was older her pride didn't stop her from asking for help now and then. She acknowledged she was human and knew she had limits which was why she was in such high demand as a hunter. She knew when to kick ass and take names and knew when to step down and let someone else deal in order for the job to get done with efficiency and ease. But in Lady's instance, her pride kept her from making connections—emotional connections—that endeared her to you, that made her human despite her biological makeup. Despite her success as a demon hunter, despite the money, the cool condo in the nice neighborhood or the brand new bike, despite the myriad of weapons or the fame—or was it infamy in her case?— she was lonely. Her pride had kept her from making any meaningful bonds and she silently suffered for it.

So now he had to deal with two hot heads, two people with similar personalities that were ultimately on opposite sides of the same coin. If Nero was too emotional, then Lady wasn't emotional enough. If Lady cared about how Nero carried himself or his well-being, then Nero didn't care enough—or he secretly _did _care, but put up a front of not caring out of spite.

Maybe Dante should've thought about them more before bringing them together? Ah, guess he had to deal with the consequences of his choices.

"He can't be mad about you smacking him one." He paused to think for a bit.

Though he doubted her clocking him in the face might have been the reason he left, Dante was pretty sure that the idea of an alpha male type like Nero, being dominated by a confident woman like Lady must've stung a little. Or rather, in Nero's usual melodramatic case, when things didn't go his way, he ended up screaming and yelling until he was blue in the face, so it must've stung …a lot, more than he should've let it to.

"But he's held grudges against me for less," Dante admitted.

Lady didn't buy it as she shook her head. "You're full of it."

"Well maybe," Dante said, standing up and placing his hands, palms flat, against his desk. "If you were actually nice to him—"

"Excuse me?" She crossed her arms over her chest and bent her knee slightly, her hip dropping with attitude. "What part of me inviting him into my home and offering to help him is me _not_ being nice?"

Dante would've sighed if he wasn't so annoyed with her just then. The attitude, her tone, the emphasis. She just proved to him how exactly she wasn't nice.

"You socked him in the face," he answered and Lady straightened up, as though ready to defend her actions to the death.

"And I would've done more if I didn't think about you and why you're doing this for him." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts as well as her patience. "I understand you're worried, but I can't be all Miss Susie Sunshine to him when he's been nothing but a bastard."

"So an eye for an eye?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm surprised to see that you're vindictive type."

"You're kidding me right? I let him in the weapon room and let him hold Kalina Ann."

"And you want a Good Samaritan award for that?" he scoffed.

"I'm _flabbergasted_ that you think I'm not nice. I'm nice to you!"

Dante let out a dry laugh. "You shot me in the head...twice," he said, slowly walking around the table, beginning to count the ways she's been nice to him over the years. "You rip me off on almost every job to date, you refuse to date me even when you know you like me," he said and stopped to look at her "And let's be real here, I'm quite the catch eh?" he winked at her and she frowned.

"You're completely oblivious when it comes to my or anyone else's feelings and despite knowing you for all these years, you refuse to open up, let me get close to you to understand you, to prove to other people that you're not as cold as you appear to be, that you're not some self centered bitch who doesn't give a damn about someone unless there's dollar signs involved. So yeah, you are nice to me Lady. Took you twelve years, but we're the best of friends."

She looked shocked, her mouth slightly open. Then she blinked, as though coming down from it and blinked a couple of more times as she looked elsewhere looking wounded and hurt. He never expected himself to go off on a rant. One would think that getting all that off one's chest would make a person feel better, but Dante felt like shit, especially seeing that wounded look on her face, he suddenly regretted going too far. He didn't mean to cut her that deep. All he wanted to say was that it took awhile for him to chip down that guard of hers and twelve years later he was still chipping long after his chisel had worn out. It seemed like once he made the point he wanted to drive it home and thus let other things slip out.

The only thing left would be for Lady to start crying and Dante wasn't sure how he was going to handle that. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What do you say to someone you care about after ripping them a new one? Saying I'm sorry just wasn't going to cut it.

She looked at him and Dante felt his lungs expand as he took in a breath and held it.

"Have you ever thought… maybe this is something he isn't ready to deal with?" she asked, and Dante nearly choked as the breath he held was let out.

He wasn't expecting that from her, but then again, considering the topic and how things turned for the worse, he didn't blame her for wanting to shift gears. Still, it wasn't like her to let something like that go.

"It's been a year," he replied, his walked towards his sword stand.

"And that's enough time?" she asked. "Just because he isn't at Fortuna doesn't mean he's going to forget about her."

"I never said he would." He wrapped a hand around Rebellion's grip. "But I know that if I left him there, he was going to get worse. He was going to let his negative emotions fester and it was going to kill him."

"So you thought bringing him over here was going to cure him?"

"Not cure," he said, gripping the sword hard enough to make the leather of his gloves wince. "Help. We need to let him know that he's important, that he should care because he's alive for a reason."

"Oh I see." He heard her footsteps approaching from behind. "We're his personal cheerleading squad."

He opened his mouth to say something to counter her snark, but she cut him off before he could voice anything.

"Are you sure he can cut it? What happens when things get a little too hot for him to handle? I mean, I playfully clock him with a pillow and he takes off in the dead of night, is he capable of handling it maturely?"

He let go of Rebellion and turned around. "He can and will," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lady looked skeptical as her eyebrow raised.

"Like, right now?"

"Just try to understand his situation."

"I understand his situation just fine. Oh no, wait. I'm too much of a self centered bitch."

And there it was. What he ripped on her before came and bit him hard in the ass. Dante really had a way with women.

"I, Lady, who's only interested in someone only if I see dollar signs, failed to realize that the reason Nero's lashing out is because of the guilt, the guilt of moving on even when he thinks he doesn't deserve it. That he's taking it out one everyone because he's too chicken shit to off himself, because deep down, he secretly wants to be happy and wants to change. Did I cover all the bases? Or is there something else I'm missing because the dollar signs are in the way?"

Well…fuck. Dante honestly didn't know what to say to that. He did regret what he said to her earlier and apologizing now would seem so out of place. He never meant to imply that she was so heartless, but it happened and now there was bad blood between them and that of course didn't sit right with him.

"My, my, the tension sure is thick in here."

The couple drew their attention towards Trish, who sauntered in with a hand on her hip.

"Do I sense some trouble in paradise?" The blonde smirked and looked at Lady, who brought her sunglasses down and looked away. From where Dante stood, he could see the skin around her scar flush a bit.

"She lost the kid." Dante said, pointing a casual thumb at Lady. No sense in sugar coating it though he could feel the glare she was sending him for being blunt. But at least the topic at hand was the kid, for now.

"You mean the kid from this morning?" the blonde asked, walking over to Dante's desk. She sat on the edge, crossing one leg over the other one.

"What?"

"He showed up pretty early," Trish said, leaning back on her elbows. She looked towards Dante. "I thought you called him in for something since he wouldn't really talk to me."

The man shook his head.

"The phone rang and I let him pick up," she continued. "It was a job."

"And you let him take it?" Lady asked.

"I tried to stop him," Trish said, shrugging.

Lady rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you did."

"I told him Dante would take care of it after he came back from running some errands." Trish leaned up, sitting up straight. "But he wouldn't listen, said he was perfect for the job."

Dante sighed. Of course the kid would take on a job. It made sense if he wanted to show Dante he didn't need his help.

Trish raised an eyebrow at the couple.

"You guys don't think he's in trouble?"

Dante shrugged.

"I don't know Trish, he could be."

"I doubt it," the blonde said, "I know he isn't in the best shape since he looks like a strong wind might carry him." She crossed her arms over her chest. "But I think you guys are underestimating him."

"He could get himself killed," Lady said.

An amused smirked appeared on Trish's lips. "Is Mama Bear concerned about her little cub?"

Dante saw Lady's shoulders tense. "Maybe I wouldn't be if you actually _tried _to stop him."

"Unlike you, I'm _not_ his babysitter," Trish said, turning her nose up at Lady, which only made the other woman angrier if the color of her pink cheeks were anything to go by.

"Ladies," Dante said in what he hoped was a calming tone. As much as he would be delighted by the image of Lady and Trish going at it, they needed to focus their attention on the situation at hand.

Luckily for Dante, the shop's phone decided to give a shrill ring, cutting through the thick tension between Trish and Lady like a knife. He picked up the phone and put the receiver to his ear.

"Devil May Cry."

The man winced, holding the receiver some inches away from his ear as the voice on the other end yelled a string of profanities and complaints. Dante waited until it was over and put his ear to the receiver again.

"I hear ya," he said, and grabbed an old pizza napkin and pen. He scratched something up real quick and put the receiver down.

Trish leaned over to see what he had written. "Well?"

Dante walked over to his sword stand and picked up Rebellion.

"The kid's going to need some backup."

* * *

When Nero woke up that morning, he decided he wanted to take his life back. He didn't need Dante butting in out of concern and he sure as hell wasn't going to do anything Lady told him. He didn't have to be there and he didn't want their poorly disguised pity. So he decided to actually do something about it instead of letting them take control. He showed up to Devil May Cry in the hopes of letting Dante know he was leaving. To where? He didn't know, but the point stood that he wasn't going to stay and have Lady micromanage his life or have Dante throw a pity party because of what happened to Kyrie.

But showing up to Devil May Cry only resulted in a missing Dante and a very available Trish, who was amused by his presence. Nero didn't like dealing with the blonde demon much, not when she tried to make him uncomfortable by practically shoving his face into her tits. The woman was insufferable when it came to getting a reaction out of him and Nero hated that he always fell for it like it was the first time every time. Well, he decided that he wasn't going to fall for her stupid tricks and if the succubus wanted to tango, then he would be ready. Though when he walked into the shop that morning and saw her there, sitting on Dante's desk, leering at him as the phone rang, leaning forward just enough to give his eyes ample access to those enormous globes of hers, Nero decided he was fucked. The man gathered his nerve as the phone continued to ring. Trish licked her lips and he thought of a snake getting ready to strike its prey. He picked up the phone and thankfully found his voice because his throat felt dry and itchy as a result of being allergic to Trish.

It was a job and he immediately got the details down, ignoring Trish as she told him that Dante would take care of it. This was his chance to prove himself to Dante, a chance to get the hunter off his back once and for all. When he hung up, he expected Trish to stop him, but the female hunter only shrugged and wished him luck. Not that he needed it. It was a simple enough job: eradicate some demons that took up shop near a small town. Apparently, the town was built near some ancient underground ruins and the threat of demons being so close was enough to get the mayor calling. The town was a good three hours out of the city, but Nero managed to make it before things got out of hand. The town was safe for the moment and all they needed was for him to eliminate the threat.

It all sounded so good on paper and when Nero finally made it down past the catacombs, so deep inside that the only source of light was the bright glow of his Devil Bringer, he thought it was going to be a piece of cake when he met face to face with the pack of demons. Only that wasn't the case. It felt like a trap when the area lit up, random torches bursting into orange flame. The area seemed like a coliseum, the walls lined with large stone steps that could've been seats in another era. The demons themselves were slow, but that didn't make the battle a cake walk. He exerted almost all his strength and power the first hour or so, hacking and shooting until there was nothing but a pile of smoldering limbs and just as quickly as he brought the demons down, they seemed to regenerate and come back up again.

And that was where he was now. Struggling to figure out a way to make the demons stay dead while trying to keep himself alive. At least they were stupid as they were slow and he could easily lure them, but that hadn't proved to be helpful in any way since they would all follow the one he was trying to kill. It was like they shared one brain and the brain was the size of a peanut.

He managed to finally pin one of those behemoths down and it sprayed a thick, mustard colored liquid. Nero flipped back, narrowly dodging the attack, but felt the sting of a few droplets eating their way through his clothes and onto his skin. The pool of goop that lay around the demon's head began to erode the stone, creating a crater. Nero pumped the Blue Rose at it, but it only served to spew more of the harsh liquid in self defense. He felt a presence behind him and he rolled out of the way, another demon bringing its fists down on the spot where Nero once stood.

Nero needed to get his sword back, which from the red glow of its blade was revved up and ready to go. He used his Devil Bringer to bring the surrounding demons down, snatching them up and slamming them into the ground hard enough for the stone floor to visibly crack. That move stunned the ones he didn't want to deal with and he focused on the one pinned by his sword. He ran towards it, ripping the blade out, making the demon shrill a cry. One of the other demons got up sooner than Nero had expected and he used his Devil Bringer to bring himself towards it, his boots connecting with the demon's dome shaped head, sending it flying back through a stone entry way. He turned around to deal with the last piece of the demon he had pinned and was astonished to see the pair of legs off, running in panicky circles as its thighs regenerated.

"What the hell?"

He ran after it, not wanting it to regenerate any further when the ground shook violently. The stone floor split open in the middle and two maces attached to chains came flying up. Nero dodged back in time and skid back to avoid falling. The body of the creature attached to the monstrous sized maces roared as it emerged from the ground. The lesser demons around it, the ones that appeared too stupid to even exist, walked slowly around, trying to figure out a way to get to Nero. The large demon roared again once it was out and it sent its maces towards Nero in an instant. Luck had appeared to run out on Nero's side as he was thrown across the area and pinned against a wall. He screamed in agony as the mace spun rapidly, ripping into him, and crushing him at the same time. The pain was bad, but the burn was worse. The smell of his clothes burning as they ripped off layer by layer only made him think of the smell of burned animal hair, intoxicating and thick with a bitter undertone of burnt flesh.

He heard an explosion then and the mace finally dropped to the floor with Nero following after. When his body hit the ground he groaned, folding into himself as the pain hit his body in waves. Thankfully, his demonic energy began working at repairing the damage done to his chest, though his shirt and sweater were now a lost cause. His chest throbbed and he coughed. After filling his lungs with much needed air, he got on his knees and pushed himself off the ground. He staggered when another explosion went off near the large demon and he saw it shoot its mace in the direction where the explosion was coming from.

Nero hunched over, panting as he tried to muster the strength to get up.

It was then that he felt a strong grip on his shoulder. A pair of hands hoisted him up from behind.

"You look a little worse for wear, but you still got some fight left in ya," a familiar voice said.

Dante let Nero go before the younger hunter could shake him off.

"Looks like you could use a hand around here," the demon hunter said, grabbing Rebellion by its grip and pulling it up from his back. "Lucky for you, this looks like one hell of a party."


	5. Invitation Only

05.

When Dante and Lady arrived at the small town, the mayor had some choice words he wanted to share them. The man, both angry and flabbergasted, wanted to know why Dante would send what equated to a novice to do a job that put the lives of his town folk in danger. Dante tried to assure him that wasn't his intention, but Lady jumped in before Dante could admit it was all a mistake. She quickly apologized on their behalf and began to talk with the mayor, alluding to his next term and possible endorsement deals he might need that she could help him with. She gave Dante the signal to go and the demon hunter had to give it to her. Lady could be very persuasive when it came to discussing business and with her phone book list of connections, Dante had no doubt the woman would strike up a deal where he still got paid for the botched job.

So Dante set off to find Nero and when he made it down to the ruins, he winced at the sight in front of him. Savage Golems, a pack to be precise. They were easy to deal with, if you knew how to kill them, but he could see an amateur struggling if they weren't familiar with that enemy type. Those bastards could run a person ragged if they weren't careful as those demons constantly regenerated when near the brink of death. Dante set off to help when the ground shook and a Tartarussian made its appearance. The beast roared, shaking the area like a clap of thunder and immediately set its sights on Nero, throwing its giant flails at him, the large mace crushing him against a wall.

Dante saw a missile make contact with the demon's back and was surprised to see Lady next to him.

"I'll distract it, go get the kid."

The man nodded, running over to Nero as Lady lured the giant beast her way with her missile launcher.

Nero hunched over, panting. Dante went behind him, gripping his shoulders and hoisting him up.

"You look a little worse for wear, but you still got some fight left in ya," Dante said.

He let Nero go before the younger hunter could shake him off.

"Looks like you could use a hand around here." the demon hunter grabbed Rebellion by its grip and pulled it upward. "Lucky for you, this looks like one hell of a party."

"Sorry, this is an invitation only sort of thing," Nero said in a hoarse, angry voice. "So if you don't mind."

"And let you have all the fun?" Dante chuckled, walking around Nero.

Lady had a good handle on the Tartarussian, so Dante decided to take out the small fry before he went and took care of the big guy. He rushed forth, using his Stinger technique to lunge and skewer one of the savage golems. This stunned the creature long enough for him to pull out his sword and give the demon a slashing it had never seen. He didn't want to chop it up, not yet. It was weak enough to still hold its mold without falling apart and regenerating. The demon hunter then turned his attention to the rest of the pack and repeated the stinger move once more while adding his million-stab technique as a bonus, how awesome was he for that? The quick stabs that made it appear he possessed multiple arms sent the pack backwards. With all the demons stunned and weak, Dante decided to have a little fun.

"Come on!" he laughed, clapping and beckoning them towards him.

His taunt did the trick as the pack slowly made their way towards him. But Dante wasn't the patient type and delivered one firm strike as he rushed towards them. The demons landed on the floor in pieces, body parts twitching in a panicky motion. Dante admired his handwork not bothering to act when certain body parts began regenerating. It was then small missiles bombarded him, all landing and exploding around him. He waited for the smoke to clear up a bit, after all, this wasn't just a fight, it was also a show. With the demon parts now destroyed, Dante dramatically emerged from the smoky abyss to see Lady, standing on top of the now dead Tartarussian. She jumped down and joined the demon hunter.

"Nice job," he said, admiring her work.

"It was a pushover." She hoisted Kalina Ann on her back. "But I found it odd that it was alone. Don't those things travel in pairs?"

Dante shrugged.

He couldn't be bothered with details at the moment. As far as he was concerned they got the job done. Dealing with Nero would be its own job, something Dante knew they had to confront. He didn't like arguments in general, but he had a thing or two to say to the kid for being so reckless and putting his life in danger.

The ground shook suddenly and he caught Lady before she lost her footing. The looked the stone ceiling split open and a Plutonian come crashing down.

Dante looked at Lady and pointed at the demon.

"You just had to get nitpicky."

Lady gave him a smirk.

"Looks like the fun isn't over yet," she said, kicking into gear as she got Kalina Ann.

Dante took out his twin guns. It was about time for his babies to come out and play.

"Let's Rock!"

The couple took the demon head on. Nero could only watch from the sidelines as he struggled to stand up straight. His body felt like it was on fire as he felt his blood bubble under his skin. Sweat poured down his face as he tried to control his body. Haggard and breathless, he fell to his knees and mentally cursed himself for being so weak. What was wrong with him? He'd never felt this worn out before in his life. It felt like a struggle just to breathe.

Using the Red Queen as a crutch to get on his feet, Nero tried to stand. It was then he saw the spiked mace flying towards him. He knew it was over then. His brain sending the chemical signal for his feet to move, but his feet would not obey. If he died here, he'd died proving nothing. He'd died knowing that he was weak, knowing that he couldn't protect anyone, not even himself. He was going to die and everyone was going to be better off without him. And somehow, he didn't mind that. Better dead than living and feeling like shit. Living and knowing you had nothing to live for.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact when an explosion knocked him back flat on the ground. He coughed, sitting up as he opened his eyes and saw smoke. The demon roared and he expected it to come flying through the dust cloud, but Lady came running toward him instead. She placed her rocket launcher on the side of them and quickly knelt down between his legs. She brushed back his matted and wet bangs with a gloved hand.

"Are you okay?"

He blinked at her, not sure if she was real or not. He felt a hand on him, on his neck, on his torso. He tried pushing them off, but the attempt ended up lame and weak as his arms fell flat against his sides. A flash of bright light stung his eyes, but he hardly blinked, his vision of her becoming blurry.

"Your pulse is very weak and your pupils are dilated," he heard her say though he couldn't understand why she sounded so far when she was right there in front of him.

She brought something to his lips and he used his remaining strength to tighten them in resistance.

"Drink or you're going to die."

Might as well, he thought and wondered if he was smirking because he felt like he was already losing control.

She held his nose. Instinct overtook willpower and his mouth opened for air. He felt the green liquid wash its way down his throat. It itched and burned on the way down and tasted faintly of fruit and herb. He coughed, choking and she tried to ease his pain by rubbing his back. Like that was going to fucking work. For all he knew his face could be turning purple and here she was giving him a back rub when he needed mouth to mouth resuscitation. Fucking ridiculous. But soon his coughing eased as his airwaves opened up and he was able to draw in a breath. What ever she had given him started working as he felt it in every cell of his body. His heart pumped faster and he could feel his blood coursing through his veins. He felt renewed with vigor, to the point of fighting again and moved to get up. But he was stopped by Lady's hand on his chest.

"I'm not done with you yet," she said, pushing him back. She went into her pockets and took out a flask.

He wanted to snort and ask her if this was now a celebration and shouldn't they wait for Dante who was still dealing with the behemoth some yards away?

Lady took out some gauze and pouring some of the clear liquid from the flask, she dabbed the gauze on his wounds. It sizzled and he was blinded by the stabbing pain. He snatched her wrist, teeth grit in anger.

"What the _hell _are you doing to me?"

Lady snatched her wrist back, pouring more of the liquid and going back to work. He hissed again and flinched when she pressed a little too hard.

"I'm purifying your wounds with holy water." She discarded the gauze and got a fresh one out. "It's the only way to get rid of the poison that was infecting you earlier. It's from the acid."

Who knew that a few drops of poisonous acid could result in so much damage? He looked down to see what exactly was going on with him and he really regretted looking. The skin around where the acid had fallen turned a greyish green and begun to swell. As she poured another round of holy water he groaned at the stabbing pain. The skin oozed a yellow pus and smelled like pure rot. As she drained him of the poison, the pain was replaced with a milder burn. Not as blinding as before, but at least it told him he was going to be okay as it was progress.

Nero looked up to see how Dante was doing. Leave it to the demon hunter to actually have _fun_. The guy was letting out catcalls and laughing as he fought and taunted the large demon. He avoided the flails easily, jumping in the air with such grace and fineness that it almost seemed like he was dancing with the beast. Nero almost felt envious of Dante at the moment. The man was so in tune with everything that he barely broke a sweat. It made him look powerful, in control, and cool. But the demon Dante was tangoing with was far less than impressed as it chased Dante around, throwing its mace wherever it could to get at the cocky hunter. Nero saw the massive spiked ball heading their way and he brought his Devil Bringer up and rested it on Lady's shoulder. He shot the translucent blue claw, driving the mace back and slamming it back into the demon.

The act left him winded as it took almost all his energy to conjure up and throw the demon back. Lady looked up from working on his torso with a raised eyebrow.

"You're welcome," he panted and dropped his arm off her shoulder.

She smirked and he wondered what the hell she found so amusing and why the hell were his ears so hot at the thought of her smiling at him. He chose not to say anything else and ignore her. Let her finish up so that she could get the hell away from him.

Dante decided that he had, had enough fun. It was time to put the large grumpy demon down for a permanent dirt nap and he had just what the big tyke needed. As it swung its flails, Dante flipped backwards, landing with ease. He ran behind it, knowing it'd be too slow to turn around, and delivered a swift stab with rebellion. The man hacked and slashed as though he were tunneling through the creature, each stab stunning the demon in place. It finally fell on its knees, letting out a harsh roar that shook the entire place down. The Plutonian fell forward, the stone ground fracturing as it absorbed the force of a large body encased in titanium. The demon let out one last breath, a whimper that sounded more like a cry and died.

Dante sheathed his sword and walked around the demon. Seeing no visible pulse and how quickly the demon's flesh began to rot, the man was satisfied. He made his way around it and spotted Lady and Nero on the other side. Lady was helping a bandaged Nero stand up but the younger man didn't want her touching him and pushed her off.

"I'm fine. Leave me alone!" he barked and Dante wanted to knock the kid off his feet for speaking to her in that tone.

"What the hell is your problem kid?" Dante asked, making his way towards them. He looked at Lady to see if she was okay, but the woman didn't show any signs of being offended. Instead she raised her hands in surrender and backed off Nero.

"My problem?" Nero snorted. "My problem is that you don't know when to stick your nose out of my business."

"Yeah, well when you take a job from my shop and are failing miserably to complete it then I make it my business," Dante replied.

"I was doing just fine!"

"You were getting your ass handed to you."

"Another hour and I would've finished it," Nero countered, glaring at him.

"Another hour and we'd find you dead," Lady said, interrupting their conversation. "The acid that fell on you poisoned you. It was only a few drops, but your demonic metabolism sped up the poison's effects."

"You not only put yourself in danger," Dante said, speaking up. "But you risked the lives of the people in town as well. What if you couldn't handle it and the demons made their way up there? What then?"

"I had everything under control!"

"What are you trying to prove by doing this?" Lady asked. "That you're strong? That you're okay? That you have something to protect when you really don't anymore?"

Nero's eyes widen in complete disbelief at her.

"You want to be grown up and handle things like an adult?" she asked, "Start acting like one. All I see is a spoiled brat stuck in his own little world, too blind to see anything beyond his own pain and misery and you know what? I'm tired of it and so is everyone else."

This…was not going to end well.

"You want to wallow in self pity? Fine. Be my guest. Hell, I'll even help you end it if that's what you really want," she said taking her gun out and Dante had to grab her wrist and pull her arm down gently.

"Easy there tiger," Dante said, hoping his soft tone would ease her back a little. But the woman's attention was solely on Nero.

"Oh so you're better off?" Nero blew up on her. His demonic energy felt like a punch to the face and Dante knew it was going to lead to trouble.

"Your existence means nothing! You come home to a demonic cat for fucks sake! How can you understand what it means to lose someone important?"

Nero's Devil Bringer pulsed.

"At least I had something to fight for! You never had anything to begin with!" Nero barked and Dante saw the scar on Lady's nose whiten slightly as her cheeks darkened.

"Must suck, knowing you might die at any time and no one would even realize it. Even remember. Even _care_. So fuck you! Don't take out your bitterness, your own loneliness out on me just because you have no one that loves you! You're sick of my shit? Fine. Leave me alone! No one asked you to stick your tits where they don't belong!"

Dante hoped that would be the end of it.

"You know what? You're right. This isn't any of my business," Lady said.

The older demon hunter let out a breath he didn't think he was holding. Hopefully Lady had enough sense to end it there.

"I don't need to help. Just like how I don't need anyone in my life to validate my existence. Whether or not anyone else cares is irrelevant because I'm happy and proud of who I am. _Unlike _you, I don't need a person to give me a reason to live because I live for myself. We can't all be as worthless and as insecure as you are, Nero."

Oh no…Lady…_don't_…

"We don't need our lives to be driven by someone who's already dead and buried. Leave your past behind or stay behind with it."

Dante reacted the moment he felt Nero's demonic energy burst. He grabbed Lady, pulling her into his arms and tucking her in as the blast of Nero's devil trigger sent a shock wave of energy shook the area around them.

"You just _had _to get nitpicky," he said, letting her go.

Lady didn't say anything, rolling her eyes. She was wrong and Dante knew she knew it, but that wasn't going to be the focus of their predicament at the moment. Their focus needed to be on Nero, who was in full-blown devil trigger with Lady as his main target.

Dante thought fast, grabbing her again, spinning her around like a dance partner and bringing her close to his body.

"Sorry babe, looks like you're going to have to sit this one out," he said in her ear.

She mouthed something against his neck though Dante couldn't hear it, but the press of her lips there sent a shiver down his spine that he almost lost sight of what he was supposed to be doing. He grabbed her and hoisted her up, giving her enough room to work and helped her flip backwards by giving her some momentum.

She landed some feet away and gave him a nod to let him know she was okay. He could've told her to run for it, but because it was Dante, he preferred to do everything in style.

Nero's red eyes landed on her. He began to walk in her direction until Dante gave him a warning shot to the shoulder.

"Hey, aren't you a little young for her?" he taunted. Nero turned to face Dante, baring his teeth like an animal would in intimidation.

"Besides, you're not her type anyway!" Dante laughed, delivering another shot.

Nero rushed towards Dante, roaring in rage. Dante dodged and rolled to avoid the attack. He crouched, clapping his hands.

"Come on kid, show me what you got!"

Nero shot his Devil Bringer towards the demon, who flipped backwards and shot at Nero at a distance. He shot at him long enough to stun and push him back. Seeing an opportunity there, Dante ran up to him and delivered a blow with Rebellion. Nero was quick, however, and the Red Queen came up, its blade grating against the stone floor, creating sparks as it made contact with Rebellion. The blades bounced off each other, making Dante trip backwards. Nero grabbed him with his Devil Bringer, raising him up and then slamming him down face first. That hurt. But Dante wasn't out yet. He got up before Nero could bring his sword down and took advantage of the fact the young man was now a bit stuck with the Red Queen in the ground. Dante slashed at him as fast as he could, hoping to deliver stinging wounds that wouldn't necessarily kill, but would burn in the hopes of jarring the kid back into reality.

The Red Queen's motor roared, the warning giving Dante enough time to dodge backwards as Nero freed his sword to attach. He twisted his grip on Rebellion, turning the sword so that the blunt side faced Nero when Dante went in for another attack. The younger hunter dragged his sword against the floor again, catching Dante on its way, sending the man airborne. Nero slashed his way into Dante, keeping him in a locked position. Dante felt the burn lacerating past the leather of his vest and into his flesh. It was excruciating pain and if the kid didn't let up Dante was going to get killed. But when Nero grabbed him, slamming him head first into the ground again, Dante knew he wasn't dealing with Nero anymore, he was dealing with unfiltered rage.

He felt his own demonic blood reacting to it, bubbling as it pumped in his veins. He didn't get up when he landed on the ground, his body on fire as his own rage soon began to consume it. Nero straddled him, grabbing Dante by his bangs and delivering a blow to the face. Nero only grew wilder in his onslaught as he drove his fists into Dante's face none stop. Where had he seen this before? Oh yeah, the day they first met. He almost devil triggered back then, his rage sparking in and out with each blow and this moment was no different. He could feel his demonic energy building, spreading itself out thick. Dante couldn't hold it back as red electricity began to spark and his own demon form began to hover between the realms of his mind and reality. His body twitched and jolted as each blow landed, his rage reaching a peek Dante feared would see no return. His mind began to stray then, images of blood, crushed bone, and ripped limbs. He wanted it, hungered for, and his mind—no his soul—yearned for it, thirst for it. He was going to _**throttle**_ the kid, murder him, _slaughter _until there was nothing left.

_Rip. Flesh. Blood. Choke._

Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

The words, the images, it all flooded his brain and spread through his body like a drug and his body pulsed again, his devil trigger tipping slightly over the cusp of his sanity.

Nero finally began to slow down, his own energy waning. He didn't have it in him anymore, his tears flowing freely as he screamed, trying to hurt Dante as much as possible in the hopes of transferring his own hurt and pain onto the older hunter. His body felt heavy and each blow he delivered slowed over time until he stopped. It wasn't until his devil trigger ran out, the ghost of a fallen blue knight disappearing in a flash, that he broke down, sobbing. His face landed on Dante's chest and he cried so hard his voice sounded ragged. The tears mixed with sweat and snot did little to stop Nero from stopping, even if it all threatened to choke him. His head hurt, his body hurt, but most of all, his heart hurt and he couldn't understand how someone could not die from a pain like that, how someone could live and breathe with so much grief inside of them

His head felt faint, his breath slowing down, and nerves calming. He felt someone touch his left shoulder, though he didn't make an effort to see who it was. He'd stopped crying by then and only the occasional hiccup would rock his body, making him hold onto Dante harder than he needed to. Another hand came onto his other shoulder and he was pulled up.

Nero didn't realize how wet his face had been until he felt the air on his face, so sharp and cool. Lady had him now, pulling him off Dante without as much as a word. She laid him on the ground, taking out a handkerchief to clean his face. She worked silently, gently wiping his nose with such tenderness that it reminded him of a mother he never knew. He closed his eyes when she went to wipe them, the cloth felt so soft, so inviting and he couldn't bother himself to open his eyes again. He was exhausted, his body now crashing from the adrenaline rush. He took one last breath, his lungs filling up with air, before exhaling and falling asleep.

Now that the younger man was off him, Dante lay on the ground, panting. The adrenaline rush of his close call with devil triggering finally began to slow itself down. It wasn't until sometime later, with his breath steady and body relaxing itself into the lull of sleep that Lady appeared above him, brushing back his bangs back.

"You alright there, cowboy?" Her fingers gently raked through his hair, massaging his scalp. Dante had half a mind fall asleep right then and there if she kept that up.

"Never better," he whispered. Before he could react Lady held the rim of a vile to his lips. Tilting it backwards, Dante drank the devil star fruit extract and soon his body began to feel more awake.

"That stuff never stops tasting horrible," he said, managing to sit up, though wincing at his soreness.

"Take it easy there," she said, placing a careful hand on his chest. "When you didn't get up, I got worried."

He smirked at her.

"I'm fine, babe. Really, it'll take a lot more than that to bring me down."

Dante put his hand over the one hand she had on his chest and she pulled her hand away, opting to go into her pockets in search of first aid they both knew he didn't need at the moment. The man sighed, laying back down again to rest.

"I went too far didn't I?" Lady asked, after a brief moment of silence.

Dante brought up his hand to show her the small distance between his thumb and forefinger.

"Just a tiny bit," he said, and chuckled.

"It's not funny." He could picture her disapproving pout.

"It's a little funny."

"You almost getting killed?"

"It would take a lot more than the kid going ape shit to get rid of me, Lady."

He heard her snort and the sound of her gear moving as she stood up.

"Are you good to stand?"

"Give me a sec," he said, feeling his muscles as he rolled his shoulders. He was still a bit sore, but his body would take care of that.

Content with how he felt, Dante rose up. Lady had already made her way back to Nero and Dante picked up Rebellion before making his way towards them.

"How's he doing?"

Lady looked up.

"Beat up, but alive," She said standing. "His vitals seem okay for now. I didn't feel any broken bones."

"So the kid lives another day," Dante said, bending down to scoop Nero up.

He was surprised at how light the younger man felt, almost as light as a child. He wondered if most of the weight he felt was just Nero's layers of clothing.

"The question is whether he'll wake up sane," Lady said, going to pick up Kalina Ann.

"He'll probably wake up hung-over," Dante placed Nero in a fireman's carry. He pulled the Red Queen out of the ground, its motor silent. "Hell of a party he threw."

Lady rolled her eyes as she picked up the Blue Rose.

"It was a blast."


	6. Resolution

06.

They left the ruins behind them with a slumbering Nero in Dante's arms. The journey to Lady's place was long, made worse by their silence. Neither said anything about what happened at the ruins, each probably lost in their thoughts. Dante had a lot to think about. He had to figure out what he was going to do with Nero now. The young hunter had exploded after their confrontation and tried to kill them after temporarily losing his sanity. If that wasn't a red flag that the kid needed help, he didn't know what was. But was he the help the Nero needed? Was Lady? Was anyone for that matter? Nero needed guidance; he needed someone to snap him out of his depressive stupor. Only Dante was afraid that maybe he was too late. Maybe Nero couldn't be saved at this point. Maybe Dante should just let this sleeping dog lie and move on.

When Lady let them inside her apartment, Dante began having second thoughts about Nero staying with her. Considering she was the one who lit the fuse, he didn't want her in any potential danger when the kid woke up. Not that he expected Nero to have the strength to fully devil trigger again, but Lady was only human, and Nero had already proved he didn't like her.

After leaving Nero's things in the living room, they brought him to her bedroom.

"Start undressing him and I'll go get some supplies to start patching him up."

Dante raised an eyebrow at her and then looked at Nero.

"What?" she asked, before she left the room.

"Do I have to undress him? Why can't you do it?"

"Because I know where my supplies are and better you than me since he'll probably devil trigger at the sight of me again."

"I don't think he'll take kindly the idea of me taking his pants off," he said, holding off.

He didn't want to do it because if the kid did wake up, then there would be a lot of awkward when explaining why Dante was straddling him with the kid's pants in his hands. A great mental image for Lady, but for Nero? Not so much.

"Then pretend it's your wedding night with him," Lady said, pushing her sunglasses into her hair. "Look, just get the job done. I doubt the kid will know unless you told him. So get over it and start undressing him."

"Yes, Mama Bear," Dante sighed as Lady left.

Dante began at the top, removing Nero's jacket and the tattered remains of his hooded vest and shirt. He was surprised the kid lived through the beating he got before they arrived, but Nero had always been both tough and strong-willed when it came to battles. As he went lower, unbuckling his belt and undoing his pants, Dante saw what he wished he didn't have to see. The battle had left Nero extremely bruised, dark spots marring his legs, blood encrusted wounds that stopped bleeding only because they'd begun to scab. He wondered why his demonic metabolism hadn't kicked in yet and realized that the Devil Bringer, which usually had a faint glow, was now off.

The kid went beyond his limit and was at the moment human. He felt a pang of guilt and swallowed it, focusing on removing Nero's boots before he got his pants all the way off. He didn't want to look anymore, not at his wounds or his painfully thin frame. Dante had been the cause of half those injuries and whether he owned up to them or not didn't matter because the kid looked like shit and he was now going to turn his back on him because Nero didn't want his help.

Lady came back and he let her get to work, not saying anything as he went toward the window. He opened it, letting a nice cool breeze in and leaned slightly on the window frame, arms crossing over his chest. He thought about Lady's role in this now. She didn't have much to lose, nothing to stake, and even less to gain. And yet Dante thought her perfect for the job as she was someone who could relate to Nero despite the age difference. She could've shown him that there is life after death and there was no shame in living. Dante wished he'd gone about it differently, but wishful thinking wasn't going to bring him anything but a bruised ego over how much his plans sucked, so he didn't give it another thought.

For now, he wondered what Lady would do. Would she back out now that things pretty much blew up in their faces? And he thought of something else, a nagging thought he tried to smother on their trip back from the ruins, something that didn't bug him, but worried him once he began to teeter into that frame of mind. And it was if Lady-no if **_they _**were okay after their morning spat. He hadn't meant to lash out at her, but he did and he felt like he had to make it up to her somehow.

"Listen, about this morning-"

"Don't," she said, cutting him off. "What happened this morning isn't important now in the grand scheme of things."

He turned around from the window to face her.

"It is important, to me, Lady."

She looked up from working and stopped. Dante was at a lost at what to say, especially when her bi-colored eyes bore into him like that. He felt naked with her staring the way she did and confrontation wasn't really his forte, especially when it involved such complicated matters such as feelings.

"Despite what I said earlier," he began. "I don't really think those things about you. I mean, sure I did once. But I don't want you to think that's all I see in you. I see a comrade, a business associate, a woman who literally sticks to her guns when I try to get her to sleep with me."

That part earned him a small somewhat bashful smirk.

"But most of all, I see a friend. And I don't want to lose you, even if I'm up to the neck in debt to you. What I'm trying to say is that, I think you're one of the most generous people I know. Hell, I think you're amazing. You're patient when you wanna be." At that she raised an eyebrow and walked around the bed to join him.

"And a hard ass when you need to be," he finished as she looked up at him. "And-"

"I'm sorry too. There, is that what you've been dancing around by rambling about how awesome I am?" she asked, drawing in a bit closer.

"It takes grace to dance around a subject like I do Lady," he said, raising an eyebrow which made her smirk.

"Look," she grabbed his hand and though the act was simple, he could tell by how flushed her cheeks were that it had taken a lot of nerve on her part to do it. "You mean more to mean than just dollar signs," she said, "I know I'm not the _nicest _person, but that's why I have you, right? To teach me."

He didn't know what it was at that moment that made him lean in. Whether it was her soft looking lips or the way she looked at him, so hopeful and innocent. It made her look younger than she was and he couldn't help but feel like he was falling and he leaned in, not thinking about the boundaries that they had set, not caring if crossing the line was going to change things for the worse. He leaned in and she turned her face, his lips meeting with a soft cheek. Dante felt everything about him-from his accelerated heart beat to his jumbled up nerves-come crashing down with disappointment.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He wanted to reply with a 'me too' but decided against it. It was bad enough that he struck out, didn't need to rub salt in the wound with an apology he didn't mean. He withdrew from her, going back to the window. They were silent for a moment as she worked on patching Nero up and he looked out the window, watching the traffic line up on the bridge connecting the city to the suburbs of the island.

"So what are you going to do now?" she asked. He turned from the window and shrugged.

"Send him home I guess. Let him deal with it like he wants."

Dante couldn't help someone who didn't help themselves. If the kid fought them this hard to the point of _devil triggering_, then maybe it wasn't meant to happen.

"I'm surprised you're giving up," she said as she redressed some older wounds.

"It's none of my business."

"Or maybe." He heard her shuffle about the room, probably throwing away the used medical supplies in the waste basket. "It is your business because you care about him."

She joined him at the window.

"I don't think you should give up," she said, looking out with him. "He obviously needs help and if something were to happen to him, I don't think you'll be able to forgive yourself knowing you could've done something."

Dante turned to look at her. She was right. He wouldn't be able to move on if something happened to the kid. He didn't want to have that on his conscience. Vergil was enough.

"But how can I get him to want the help?" He could try again, but if Dante met with as much resistance as he did today then what was the point?

"Easy. Give him a choice." she pushed herself off the window sill and went over to Nero.

"Be honest with him by laying all your cards out. Let him know your intentions." She got a couple of small towels and disappeared into her bathroom. When she came out, she tossed a damp towel at him, which he easily caught.

"Here, help me wipe your boyfriend down."

Dante rolled his eyes, but joined her nonetheless.

"Explain the risks he'll undergo, but also explain what he can gain." She wiped the younger man's face and neck. Dante started at his feet and worked his way up, carefully avoiding any bandages.

"After that, if he still wants to go home, let him. The point is to let him have control and say over his fate. You can't take his choices away from him just because it's for his own good. He'll fight you harder that way."

That all sounded good, in theory. But Dante didn't want to risk putting it into practice again. Not when it created such disastrous results.

"So if he doesn't want to do this, then I should just let him go where he'll probably go off himself?"

"He won't off himself," she said, wiping down Nero's collar-bone. "If he leaves, then he'll leave knowing you'll be there for him, no matter what. It'll make him realize you're not just there to control him, but help. Trust me, Dante. I know."

She was right. How often did they struggle at putting her back together after Temen-ni-gru? He always pushed himself on her, thinking that he was what she needed. That maybe after the loss and hurt they both experienced, they could somehow build something out of love for each other. But no matter what he did, she pushed back, until finally, he let her go. They were mad at each other for some time, but he couldn't cut her out of his life entirely. He had loved her at some point, still wanted her, and didn't want to lose her in the end. She came back to him, on her own terms and he noticed the change in her. Not only had she grown physically (not that he was complaining), she had matured as well. She realized that being angry all the time wasn't going to get her anywhere, wasn't going to change her role in her father's death and his role in trying to destroy human kind. Gone was the short-tempered girl who blamed herself for everything and in came a woman ready to deal with things and adapt not because she needed to, but because she wanted to and wanted to have a life. She was a person Dante had and probably will always admire for her strength. It was why it made so much sense that she played a role in this. He wondered if she still wanted to be a part in all of this now.

"Listen, about your role in this." He stopped cleaning when he got to the younger man's waist. "Seeing as the kid tried to kill you, maybe it's best that I take this on alone."

"So the kid throws a tantrum and _I'm _the one that gets a time out?" she looked up at him with a smirk but it soon died when she saw how serious he was. "I'm not going to leave you alone in this, safety be damned. Besides," she finished cleaning Nero off and took the towel that Dante had used. "I was wrong back there. I lost my temper and said things that weren't fair considering the situation."

"They needed to be said."

"Yeah and look at the price paid for it," she said looking at Nero. Dante couldn't deny her there. The kid got the physical brunt of everyone's frustration in the situation.

"At least it's all out in the open. No sense in letting all that stuff bottled in," he reasoned. She disappeared into her bathroom and came out without with a fresh damp towel.

"You're right in that respect," she said, folding it and placing it over Nero's forehead.

"He's gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, just a small fever. I'll watch him to see if it increases." She looked at Dante. "And he's still welcomed to stay here, given that he wants to."

"You sure?"

"Are you so certain he's going to wake up and eat me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Honestly?" He rounded the bed to stand in front of her. "Yes. He might take a bite outta ya and I'll be left a widower. Think about me in all of this. Also, Trish and the _Ménage à trois_ that could've been."

Lady rolled her eyes, but didn't hide her smirk.

"So, I'm guessing you're feeling better after the vital star treatment?"

"Actually," He put at hand to his forehead. "I think I'm coming down with something."

Lady raised an eyebrow and removed his hand to place her own there. "Really? You don't feel warm."

"That's because you can't feel it, but I'm practically on fire," he grinned.

The woman smirked, knowing the games he liked to play and went into her bathroom. She came out with a small med-kit, opening it up to produce a thermometer. Lady approached him, his eyes glued to the way her hips swayed. She knew what she was doing to him by the way she came up and pressed against him. Lady, for all her bashfulness when it came to awkward moments, could be a real vixen when she wanted to be, especially if they were playing the flirt. She traced his jaw line with the thermometer's tip.

"Alright then cowboy, " she said, huskily. Dante couldn't stop smirking as her free hand traced a line down his chest. "How about you drop those pants of yours so I can insert this anally."

..._what?_

Dante could only blink, which made Lady laugh, breaking out of her sexy vixen routine.

"God, it was hard keeping a straight face."

Dante gave her a pout, though he wasn't angry.

"I'm glad I amuse you," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You'll live, Papa bear." She went and put the thermometer away.

"Mama bear should give me a kiss for the sudden disappointment," he said, walking over and closing the med-kit for her.

Lady titled her head, raising an eyebrow. "How about I order some pizza and pretend Papa bear doesn't owe me thousands of dollars for the rest of the day?"

Well then. He slowly backed off, raising his hands up in surrender.

"That works too."

"I'm sure that does," she smirked and placed the kit on the nightstand. He watched her walk to her door.

"Extra olives?" she winked.

"You know better."

"I don't think I do," she said, chuckling as she left.

Before heading to join her, Dante got a blanket and tried his best at tucking Nero in. Didn't want the kid catching a cold. Satisfied that the young man had enough move to move under the covers if he needed to get up, Dante left to stop Lady from ruining their lunch.


	7. It's Just Begun

**Note:** Just want to thank everyone who's reviewed and is enjoying the story thus far. Okay, so this chapter starts with a crossover bit from the game Shadows of the Damned. If you haven't played it, I highly recommend it. It's pretty awesome. So here's a new update! Enjoy!

* * *

07.

Nero looked around, eyes sharp, senses alert. He followed the demons here, their scent—a combination of rot and sour musk—still clung to his nostrils. When he got home, he found everything in disarray. The furniture in shambles, the walls marked with jagged claw marks, the floor wet with ooze and blood. The sight of it all made his stomach drop, his knees stiffening as they fought the urge to buckle.

No. No. _**No.**_

His legs moved, clumsily at first, but soon he moved with a lunatic's pace, rushing up stairs to excavate each room. He needed to find Kyrie, needed to make sure she was alive and okay. Nero functioned like a mad man, screaming her name as he shoved broken things about, hoping to find her under piles of broken furniture that had no business hiding her. He hoped for a meek cry, a whimper, _something _to let him know she was alive and just hiding and scared. That she was waiting for him, waiting to be saved. But when his screams met with nothing but the sound of his own haggard breathing, he dropped to his knees.

It was then that the smell finally hit him. The smell that was prevalent throughout the house, the smell that he should've noticed in the first place if not for his frantic searching. It was the acrid stench of rotting flesh, the smoky stink of burnt bone, and something else. He knew that stench all too well as it varied from demon to demon.

And that smell was what brought him here, to the underworld.

After prying his way through the gate, he pictured he would meet a world full of fire, brimstone, and decay. Instead, as the gates closed behind him, Nero found himself in a deserted, dark city, lined with abandoned townhouses and a road made up of brick and cobblestone. He looked up at the muddled gray sky and noticed a soft light coming from the north. There, he was sure that was where she was. Given how demons liked to play, he wasn't surprised that this pack wanted him to follow a certain path, get him going on a journey in the hopes of weakening him for the final showdown. But what these demons didn't know was that Nero didn't give a fuck about their games. He was there to rescue Kyrie. Whatever they wanted to dish out he was sure he could handle it and more, because nothing would keep him away from her. Nero would take on the entire underworld for her, and this was what the demons didn't understand. That his determination, his _love _for her was going to see him through any obstacle. Nothing they could do could break him as long as he had Kyrie in his heart. So they want to play games? Fine. Nero could play with the best of them. They picked the wrong guy to fuck with and they were going to regret ever crawling out of this hellhole.

He reached a lonely street where the street lamps barely glowed and the townhouses boarded up and abandoned. This place did a half-assed job at imitating the human world if those dead crows were anything to go by, he was pretty sure birds didn't have red glowing eyes or sharp knives for beaks. Ignoring their beady stares he continued his way up north, after the soft light in the sky.

Nero stopped at the sound of squeaky wheels. He watched as a tired wooden wagon full of dead bodies slowly emerged from the darkness of an alley. It stopped in front of him and his Devil Bringer glowed. He got a better look at the bodies, their ghoulish faces stuck in a permanent state of horror and agony. He noticed their sharp teeth, their caked claws, and the smell of rotten flesh. He took at step back, reaching for his gun.

At the sound of the safety clicking off, the bodies sprang up. The demons, lanky and starved in appearance, jumped toward him. Nero hopped back, shooting a couple of shots that staggered a few, but they seemed intent on attacking him. They advanced screeching and swinging their claws. He shot off their knee caps, reloading to make the rest of the group immobile, but the monsters just crawled their way to him, making these retched guttural sounds that would make a normal person's skin crawl. After reloading once again, Nero took aim at their heads and stopped them dead in their tracks one by one. He satisfied to see their headless bodies decaying quickly, leaving behind a mess of sand and bone. He didn't have time to deal with those shrimps. He had bigger fish to fry.

"My word, you got them all! Those buggers are nothing but trouble," a male voice said from the shadows.

Nero brought his gun up, aiming at the alley where the voice came from. From the darkness emerged a thin man dressed in some dark jeans and a vest. He had skull tattoos winding up his left arm and a couple of nose and lip piercings. He had a punk rock look with the biker boots and studded belt that he wore. His black hair, a spiky thing of a mess, spilled past his shoulders.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Hold on." The demon held his hands up in surrender. "I come in peace."

Nero didn't budge, which made the demon roll his eyes.

"Oh for the love of—I'm a demon, obviously." The man spoke with a British accent.

The hunter pulled back the hammer of his gun which made the demon's eyes widen in panic.

"B-but I'm not going to do you any harm!" He took a couple of cautious steps forward. "Why would I try tangoing with _you_ after witnessing what you did to _them_? I choose life thank you very much."

That wasn't enough for Nero to drop his guard around the guy, but it was enough for him to put his gun down. The man slowly approached and Nero got a real good look at him. The man's face appeared marred by claw marks on his right cheek that had scarred. The apprehensive look the demon had as it drew closer made the demon look more human, vulnerable. But he learned that when it came to demons, looks could be deceiving and though he put his gun down; his finger was still danced over the trigger.

"U-um…I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask if I can bum a fag off ya?"

Nero ignored him as he looked around. "So, this is hell?"

The demon looked around too, as though mocking the hunter, nose turned up as he looked critical. "You are correct kind sir. This is hell and this city is a part of it."

He stopped his meandering and looked at Nero, a slight smirk on his lips.

"We're getting quite progressive you know, our world's much like your surface world," he said, pointing upwards, "We got supermarkets now if you could believe that." He paused to rub his chin."Though I wouldn't go shopping there, unless you're fond of rotted food stuff."

Nero snorted, shaking his head while saying nothing.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's that you're wasting my time. I have more important things to do."

"Maybe I can help?" the demon wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Information, in exchange for something of value," the man said and grinned. "How about some fruit?"

Nero raised an eyebrow. "Fruit?"

"Ugh yes," the man groaned in pleasure. "They're like succulent candies! I'm a slave to them. They're delightful."

He walked up to Nero who took a couple of steps back. The guy didn't seem particularly bothered of invading other people's personal space.

"Strawberries are my poison, though I wouldn't mind the occasional ripe peach—"

"You're quite the chatter box."

The demon smirked. "And a treasure trove of information. Tell me, what would you like to know?"

"Where exactly is Mundus?" Nero had a feeling that his fight would be with the lord of the underworld. He knew Dante defeated him before, but what's to stop the king of hell from picking a fight with him?

"Why he's everywhere of course, he's the king of hell. But I don't think the bone you're trying to pick is with him."

Nero raised an eyebrow.

"It is true that Mundus is our overlord, the queen bee, the head honcho, etcetera. But there are other demons you know, demons who thirst for power," he said looking around the place. "They are the equivalent of what your human history refers to as Dukes, only without the loyalty."

A pair of demons appear down the street from them. The demons looked much like the emaciated ones Nero had dispatched before only with horns and sharper claws. The demons fought using their claws and horns to decimate the other in their brawl. After a few minutes only one came out victorious while the other made a guttural sound as it writhed on the ground in pain.

"Demons fight, a lot," the man informed him. "There's always a fight going on to see who's the strongest. Demons are always vying for that number one spot. Fleming is one of them, and you're now in his city."

"Fleming?"

The demon nodded.

"You would think he'd come up with a better name. No one's a big fan of the name, but neither are they a big fan of him either. Though if you ask me he would be better off naming himself Charles. I mean, who would suspect someone named Charles as being mighty and powerful?"

"I'm guessing going off on tangents is another talent of yours?"

"It's part of my charm, the name's Johnson." He offered his hand for a shake, but Nero ignored him.

"So this Fleming character, mind telling me where he is?"

"Are you looking to challenge him?"

Nero shrugged, facing away from him as he looked around the street as though he found that more interesting.

"You might have a chance if that arm of yours is anything to go by."

Nero flexed the fingers in his demon arm as it glowed. He felt Johnson get close and turned around to see the demon crouched in front of him as he stared at his arm. The demon hunter pulled his arm back and hid it behind him, taking a couple of steps back from Johnson.

The other man simply tilted his head, an amused grin on his lips.

"No? Then you must be here for revenge." He stood up. "Tell me, what blood has Fleming split that you claim yours?"

"He _didn't _spill anything," Nero hissed. Johnson raised his hands up in surrender.

"My apologies, we know what happens when people make assumptions. They make an ass out of—" Johnson found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

"I've had enough of your idle chatter." Nero pulled the hammer back as a warning. "Where is he?"

The demon's face grew serious as he stared at Nero. The young hunter didn't like the way the demon looked, he couldn't read anything off him and his finger danced on the trigger in case the man tried to pull something.

"Fleming has a weakness," Johnson started. "For beautiful mortal women. Snatches them up from the surface world when they strike his fancy." He brought his hands up very slowly and snapped his fingers. "Just. Like. That," he emphasized.

"He courts them first. Wines and dines them, just like a gentleman, you know. And then he has his fun with them."

Johnson moved a long finger down the barrel of the Blue Rose slowly.

"He devours them piece by piece," he said as though hypnotized by the mental image. "And keeps them alive long enough to hear them screaming."

Nero lost his nerve and pulled the trigger, the gun shot echoed loudly through the empty streets. His panting did nothing to ease the current rage he felt and what made it worse was the space in front of his gun as the smoke cleared and Johnson reappeared again with a grin.

"Missed!" Johnson chirped which only made Nero's eyebrow twitch. "Tell me, hunter, what would Fleming want with a plain Jane like your woman?"

He shot at Johnson again and this time, it was Nero's turn to grin.

"Oh bloody hell! That hurt!" Johnson shrieked at his wounded shoulder. "That temper of yours is mighty fierce. You'll go nowhere with it."

Nero turned to leave. He had enough of this clown and though it would've made him feel better to pump the bastard full of lead, if what the demon said was true, then he had to rescue Kyrie as soon as possible.

"You pissed him off that's what you've done," Johnson called out to him as he held his shoulder. "If you're not here to challenge him then he's summoned you. Fleming only toys with those who've done him wrong first."

Nero stopped walking and turned his head slightly to listen.

"A word of advice before you go off to fail," Johnson huffed.. "Nothing is what it seems. This is hell after all, and Fleming has a knack for tricks. You're a hunter aren't you?"

Silence.

"Keep your wits about you. It's how you hunters survive. Hope you get to her in time, so best of luck. You're going to need it."

Nero turned to face Johnson again, but the demon was gone.

The demon hunter didn't let this get to him. He looked north and followed the soft lights that glowed in the sky.

* * *

Nero woke with a start that sent a wave of pain through his body. He was alive? The last thing he remembered was yelling at Lady about her butting into his life and then. He groaned as he remembered devil triggering, though he couldn't remember _exactly _what happened after he did, his body did a great job reminding him of the total beat down he got from the only person powerful enough to subdued him, Dante.

The young hunter made an effort to move and winced through the pain as he sat up. He was pretty banged up, but he was patched up and clean. He didn't recognize his surroundings at first, but once he saw how nice the room was, how clean and dainty, he knew he wasn't at Devil May Cry but back at Lady's place. What possessed her to welcome him back into her house after he went apeshit on her, he didn't know. But now he felt like he owed her something and that did not sit well with him. They didn't get along and he hardly liked her, so being in debt to her was the last thing he wanted.

He wondered if he could still get out of there, though from the way his head pulsed, he knew he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Nero sighed and reclined back into the headboard, closing his eyes as he ignored both his headache and his sore body.

Johnson.

The dream he just had wasn't new. In fact, he often dreamed about the events that led up to what happened to Kyrie. It was his subconscious punishing him, playing the events over and over to show him all the mistakes he'd made, all the wrong decisions that led to Kyrie—

Nero opened his eyes, sensing something in the room. He looked at the foot of the bed and saw Lady's demon cat. It mewed as though saying hello and the man rolled his eyes.

The bedroom door flew open and Lady walked in.

"Lucy, the kid's—" She stopped once she realized Nero was awake and sitting up. "—up. So, you've decided to come back to the world of the living?" She took the cat off the bed and placed him on the ground.

"The dead don't want me, so this place was second best," he answered as he watched her go into the small bathroom.

"It's an honor," she said, coming out with some first aid supplies.

She set them down and sat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

Nero watched her unpack some fresh bandages and tape, as well as some peroxide and other ointments.

"I have a headache," he voiced.

Lady grinned as she looked at the bandages on his chest. She carefully peeled them back to show soft pink flesh.

"Must be from whacking you a couple of times with the pillow." She looked up at him and winked, which only made him frown. He wasn't in a playing mood.

"What? I was just joking."

"I wouldn't put it past you."

"Well considering that you almost tried to kill me," she said, getting the ointment and applying a fresh coat. "The temptation to do more than just smother you with a pillow was there."

He hissed when she pressed too firmly and glared.

"You'll live," she said rolling her eyes, but he noticed that she was a bit gentler when tending to his other wounds. He watched her work in silence and wondered why she was doing any of this for him and where the hell was Dante in all of this when he was the one that mattered and was the one that started all of this?

"Almost done," she whispered, switching gears and cupping his face to see the patch on his forehead. Up close like this he could see the light scar over the bridge of her nose and her different color eyes. He tried not to stare at them, but he couldn't help but notice how despite being so different they brought the best out of the other, the blue, so dark and intense brought out the soft, yet vibrant red. She leaned up and his eyes widened in pure shock as the thought of her lips coming up so close to his own lips made his heart race and chest burn. Before he could push her away, she plucked the hair tie holding his bangs back, the one he hadn't noticed he was wearing, and gently rustled his hair, spreading the curtain of bangs over his eyes.

"Should help with the headache a bit," she said, sitting back down.

He was grateful for the hair obscuring his view of her because he couldn't really look at her at the moment. Not when he was fighting the heat off his cheeks along with his still pounding headache.

"Oh, missed one." She reached over again, and he caught her wrist just as she was about to pull off a band-aid.

"Stop," he said, and released the grip he had on her.

The woman sighed and looked away.

"You're getting prickly, kid. Might end up looking like Dante if you're not careful," she said, picking up the scraps of paper leftover from the used medical supplies.

The hunter felt his face and frowned at the hint of stubble. Kyrie always preferred him smooth.

"I won't," he said, a little offended as he scratched at the stubble. "Besides, I don't want you making googly eyes at me because I resemble the old man. Go flirt with your cat when you go in heat."

"Well it's safe to say that mouth of yours is fine since your snark's up to snuff." She went and threw the garbage away.

"Where did you sleep?" he asked when she came back from putting away the unused supplies.

"Why, I slept besides you of course. The bed's big enough and it gets cold and lonely at night," she said shrugging. Nero eyes widened in horror which made Lady roll her eyes.

"I slept on the couch genius. You're injured."

The cat jumped on the bed again and made its way to sit next to Nero. The man's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but the cat placed its paw on his Devil Bringer as though to say 'Dude, it's going to be okay. I'm here for you now.'

"You didn't have to," he said, ignoring the cat for now and looked at her.

"Well considering how beat up you were, I didn't think it was safe to leave you at Devil May Cry with Trish acting as your nurse for aid. Because I'm sure between her sudden fascination with drawing on your face and the warring roaches marking you as territory, you wouldn't stand a chance."

Nero shivered at the thought of Trish looming over him with a marker. The demon was psychotic and got her kicks from making his life hell. Her behavior wouldn't be surprising in the least, but at least he knew what to expect with her. With Lady it was different. He didn't expect waking up in her home, let alone being treated and cared for. Nero tried to kill her in a moment of pure rage and the woman acted as though it didn't mean anything.

And that was the problem. He wanted her to be angry, to lash out at him for being a jerk because that was he deserved. Her anger was something he could deal with, like before when she yelled at him. She seemed easier to deal with when she lost her cool, but her kindness was not something he could work with. Anger seemed the most reasonable to him because it was anger that fueled his self loathing. His self loathing was what kept him going everyday and yet being met with her sudden kindness, her out of left field reaction to almost being murdered by him snuffed all his earlier rage. It left him feeling drained, pathetic, but most of all, it made him feel stupid, guilty and a little ashamed. He wasn't a child, but she brought those childish qualities in him to the surface and he disliked her for it. He despised the idea that she could read him like an open book and there he was, at her mercy, and unable to read anything off her but an air of indifference.

"I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're brooding about."

Nero looked up at her and noticed that she had the cat in her arms.

"Why not?" he asked. Lady put the cat down on the floor.

"Because being angry at you is just a waste of time and energy."

"So, I'm just a waste of time to you?" he asked, sitting up better.

Lady sighed and sat down at his feet.

"No, but being mad at you isn't going to solve anything. It won't change that you tried to kill me, and it won't solve the current issues you have with yourself."

She was right. Her being mad at him wasn't going to change things. Her anger would only give him an excuse to act the way he did before and look what that got him.

"Look, it's been about a week since it happened. I've had enough time to cool down and think about things. I realized that being angry will only make things worse. It'd make me resentful and that's the last thing I want to be. Being that way only hurts everyone involved."

Nero looked down at his hands; a little ashamed that his resentment played a major role in how things progressed since the day he arrived.

"Hey." He looked up to see that she had moved a bit closer to him. "You don't have to stay and do this. If you want to pack your things and go back to Fortuna you can. I'm not going to hold you back. I'm really no one in your life and even if I was, I can't tell you what to do."

It was easier said than done. Dante was also involved in this and knowing how the man practically dragged him over there from Fortuna, Nero knew the older man wasn't going to give up on him without another fight.

"What about Dante?"

"Well, you're going to have to talk to him obviously. Let him know what you want to do."

"Yeah, but will he listen?"

"I think he will if you give him a chance."

Nero wasn't so sold on talking to Dante, but he knew he had to, given their current circumstance. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do now. He could take his stuff and leave, just like she said, but he had nothing waiting for him back at Fortuna but some overbearing nuns and a grave he refused to visit. Staying meant swallowing his pride and dealing with Dante and Lady, if she still wanted to be involved. Staying meant letting his guard down, staying meant a lot of things he wasn't sure he wanted because he wasn't sure he was willing to take the risk involved in letting people get close to him.

"If I stay, will you…?" He didn't want to fully ask but she titled her head and grinned which made him regret ever asking in the first place because now he felt like she was toying with him.

"If you want me to help, then I will. Sure your attitude needs work, and I'm not fond of that mouth of yours and you're going to cost me a fortune to house, feed, clothe, and maintain." And she went up and ripped off the band-aid he stopped her from taking off earlier. The pain was immeasurable as he let out a surprise yelp.

"_Ow_!" Nero glared at her because he could feel his eyes tearing a bit. "_Fuck _I get it!"

She rolled his eyes at his holding his cheek and pouting angrily.

"But, I'm willing to take a chance if you are too. You're even welcomed to stay here."

The demon cat came in between them, placing a paw on Nero's leg as it said his welcome.

"Lucy doesn't mind," Lady said, taking the cat and rubbing his belly. The animal purred. "He warmed up to you a lot when I left you alone. Made a great babysitter, didn't you Lucy?"

Nero's jaw dropped in horror.

"You left me alone with your demon pet!"

Lady didn't see anything wrong with it as she sat the cat on her lap.

"Well, someone had to work to pay the bills around here. I couldn't just sit here and dote on you all day. Besides," she presented the cat to Nero who wanted nothing to do with it and held it away from him. "Lucy was a great babysitter. He made sure you were safe and even played with your face when he was bored. Those scratches healed up really fast, you can hardly notice them."

"You're serious?"

Lady had to snort a laugh because she couldn't hold it in. She pushed herself off the bed to stand.

"I tried to kill you before, don't make me try to do it again," he threatened but Lucy made sure Nero looked ridiculous as it tried to paw at his face. The man held the cat away from his face as he tried to glare at the woman who looked at the pair in amusement.

"You're not the first and I doubt you'll be the last demon to try," she said, watching him struggle as the cat tried to dominate him.

"How about I fix you something to eat? That way, you can win that wrestling match Lucy is obviously beating you in."

"Lady," he warned with a stern glare. The woman smirked and went and got the cat from him, placing the animal on the floor.

"Kid, we're going to have some problems if I have to come save you from losing to a demon cat."

"That's the problem, demons aren't supposed to be cats," he said, glaring at her as he got out of bed. Lady made it to the door and turned to look at him again.

"I set out a bunch of stuff in the bathroom for you to freshen up when you woke up. When you're done making yourself look pretty for me, come out for some food. I promise I won't poison you," she winked.

Nero rolled his eyes as she left, but did in fact feel the small pangs of hunger as his stomach began to rumble. Lucy pawed at Nero and the man frowned at the cat as it followed him to the bathroom.

"You are _not _coming in here. Go watch someone else pee," he snapped and slammed the door in its face. The cat mewed, pawed at the door, and disappeared.

Nero didn't see it coming as he turned around from the toilet and screamed.

Lady sighed as she heard the commotion. No doubt Lucy playing tricks on the kid for being mean to it. Dante was going to owe her double, no _triple_ for all of this. She continued to chop carrots while ignoring Nero's cursing and screaming.


End file.
